Gaining Forward Momentum
by Proudofyoubabe
Summary: Ranger and Tank are doing 6 weeks of hard labor for what we all perceive as a non-crime. Steph, Lula & Hector have their own piece of the business to run. Devon and the 'almost perfects' are trying hard to find that connection to Briggs so they can start court martial proceedings against him. So will everything remain status quo until the guys return? I highly doubt it. A Babe HEA.
1. Chapter 1 — Depth Perception

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for reading this through first and deeming it exciting enough for a first chapter. **Thank you Margaret :)**

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chap 1 — Depth Perception**

A couple of weeks had somehow passed since Carlos' incarceration. I was going through life like a robot. Waking up, getting dressed, going to class. Eating, or not. Maybe doing a little Rangeman work, then going to bed—maybe getting some sleep.

I still hadn't read Carlos' letter because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to hold it together, but I slept with it every night. I was feeling particularly brave today and took out the letter, perhaps to read it, perhaps just to catch one waning whiff of Carlos.

I decided to open it.

_Babe,_

_Because you are reading this, it means we're apart. I wanted you to have something of me for the next few weeks, even if it's only words, since we can't be together physically. _

_You wandered into my life and you moved my soul. You are my light, my life, and my world. Without you I'd be incomplete. There are no words to describe the love I have for you. _

_I never wanted to put you on an emotional roller coaster. Had I known we'd be apart, I'd have held off professing my love to you until after this adulteration was over. But since I had no way of knowing this fiasco was about to unravel, I shared my inner feelings with you. I would never want to take back the last few months that we've had together, they are the happiest days of my life; but I wanted us to be together forever, not separated by this utter bullshit, even for a day._

_It will be thoughts of us reuniting that will get me through the weeks ahead._

_You have my heart. Forever._

_All my love,_

_Carlos_

It was such a beautiful letter. It was just like Carlos. I didn't lose it like I expected to, but the tears did flow from my eyes. I was glad I held off reading it until now. I didn't think I could have handled it two weeks ago.

I took it with me into the kitchen, to read again while I made myself a peanut butter and olive sandwich. Since Carlos has been gone, they've become a favorite of mine again. While I was forking the olives out of the jar to add to my gooey mess, my phone rang.

I saw from the display that it was Valerie. Although I didn't tell my parents that Carlos and Tank were serving a sentence, I did tell Mary Lou. And as much as she said she'd keep it quiet, I had a feeling, even before I answered this call that she'd told my sister.

"Hi Val, what's up?"

"I just bumped into Mary Lou at the Stop & Shop and she told me about Ranger and Tank. Don't worry, I didn't tell mom. How are you doing?"

"I'm ok, I'm numb." Then I had a thought. Maybe if I went out to the beach house I'd feel better. "Do you think Angie and Mary Alice would like to come out to the house with me this weekend and hang out at the pool. I think I'd like some company and their chatter might be good for me." It would probably remind me of Julie, who would remind me of Carlos, but I thought I could handle it.

"Let me ask them." I could hear her talking even though her hand was over the phone. When someone came back on, it was Mary Alice, the horse kid.

"Yay, Aunt Steph, we want to come out. Are you going to pick us up? Can we ride in your super-cool car?"

"I'll pick you up in the morning and if you don't pack a lot we can take my super-cool car. Can you put your mom back on?"

She put the phone down and I heard her yell for Val, who picked up after a few seconds. I told her that I'd be by around nine to get the girls and she sounded relieved. I think the stress of four kids really did get to her every once in a while.

I knew I had to let Bobby know what I was planning. And I was sure we'd have to have a shadow, but that was ok. My nieces knew a few of Carlos' men and liked them. They especially liked Hal and Lester, so I could always ask for one of them.

I called Bobby and he sounded happy that I was planning a little outing. I mentioned Hal.

"No can do Bomber. We promised Ranger you'd get full protection. You know we travel in pairs except for extenuating circumstances, and there will be three of you. How about Hal and Vince?"

Vince would probably want to cook for us. Not a bad idea.

"Ok Bobby. Hal and Vince are fine. Mary Alice and Angie want me to pick them up in my CL65."

Bobby went quiet. He was probably thinking we could all drive down in one of the Rangeman SUVs and he wouldn't have to worry about our safety. If I was on my own with the girls, anything could happen. True, but I wasn't going to back out. I had already promised my nieces.

"Bobby, I'm picking them up at Val's tomorrow at nine. Can you ask Hal and Vince to be a little discreet? I don't want to scare the girls."

I guessed Bobby had a few seconds to think about how to best handle my request.

"Ok Bomber. Pick them up at nine. We'll tail from a safe distance."

Good. I got my way.

I read Carlos' letter again while I ate my PB&O sandwich and felt happier than I had in weeks. I called Philipe to let him know I'd be at the house for the weekend and he promised to stock the refrigerator in advance. I never knew I wielded such power.

I spent the rest of the evening thinking about Carlos. I went over to our safe and let it scan my iris to give me entry. I just wanted to look at our rings again—anything to give me some connection to him.

I picked up the two blue boxes and opened them. I took off my engagement ring and put my wedding band on; then I put my ring back. I took Carlos' out of the other box and put it on my right thumb. It gave me such a peaceful feeling to wear them that I went to bed with all our rings on.

I had set my alarm for seven so I wouldn't be late getting the girls. I totally forgot that I wore the rings to bed until I looked down at my left hand and saw my wedding band under the engagement ring. Then I looked down at my right thumb. Carlos' ring was gone.

It could only go so far. I was only in the bedroom. I ripped apart the bed looking for it. Nothing. Maybe it fell off during the night and rolled? I got down on my hands and knees and started searching. I was under the bed, under the night tables, under the dresser. Nothing. Shit.

Maybe I imagined that I wore it to bed? I scanned myself back into the safe and checked the blue boxes. Both were empty. I put my wedding band back and thought about what to do.

Ella.

Even though it was the weekend and she was off, she answered my page on the intercom. I explained my situation and that I had to leave the house shortly if I was to pick up my nieces on time.

"Dear, I'm sure it's around. Why don't you get ready to go? Luis and I will come up after we have breakfast and we'll walk the grid. I'm sure we'll find it."

"Walk the grid?"

"It's military. You divide a space up into grids and you cover every inch. You didn't leave the apartment, right?"

"No, I didn't leave the bedroom."

"Go. Enjoy your weekend. We'll find it and I'll text you when we have it."

"Thank you so much Ella."

"No problem."

She probably thought I was a nut. Who else would put on their fiancé's wedding band and sleep with it to try to get a connection?

I did my shower thing and made myself coffee and a quick breakfast of a toasted English muffin, butter and jelly. Comfort food from my childhood. I threw on some mascara and lip-gloss. My hair was going to have to dry naturally, no time for anything else. I hoped Mr. Alexander's special non-frizz stuff would do its thing, or I'd scare the hell out of everyone once it dried. And just in case it opted for the latter, I attached a scrunchie to my wrist.

I grabbed my fob, phone and a gun and threw them in my bag. I had clothes and things at the house, so I just needed to get the girls. I was at the elevator when I remembered the letter. I fobbed myself back into the apartment, found the letter on the kitchen counter where I left it, and threw it in my bag.

This time I made it down to the garage.

I fobbed open my car and heard one of the SUVs come to life somewhere nearby. Hal and Vince, I guessed.

After I buzzed myself through the gate I heard them follow. Sometimes tails make me crazy and I drive around to lose them, but today I didn't care. I didn't have the extra time to weave in and out of Trenton's backstreets and besides I felt safe with them on my ass.

I made it across town to Val's in record time. I guessed she inherited my mother's uncanny ability to know when I was approaching, because her and Albert were both at the door waiting for me with smiles on their faces and babies in their arms.

Lisa is two, so she isn't exactly a baby. Her face lit up when she saw me get out of the car. I hoped she didn't think she was coming along. There's no way I could take care of three of them. And she was a screamer when she didn't get her way.

Chatter I could handle. Screaming was a different story.

I greeted the four of them with kisses and Alexa grabbed my hair. Uh oh. She had it in her fist and was wrapping it around her chubby little fingers and tugging. Not good.

Thankfully Albert was well versed in getting things out of her grip and I was just down about a half dozen hairs.

With that taken care of, Val went to see how the girls were doing with their last-minute packing.

The trunk on the CL65 is small, so I hoped they only took necessities. Let's say I was really happy to see both of them come out of their bedroom. They each had a child-sized pink suitcase with wheels and a handle. They would easily fit in my trunk.

The girls' said goodbye to Val, Albert, Lisa and Alexa and scrambled out to my car. Somehow I got the two suitcases.

Thankfully Hal saw me trying to get through Val's screen-door with them and came over to help. The girls saw him approaching.

"Halosaurus," they screamed in unison and ran to him. Not only did I not have help, he now had two pre-teens on his arms. Oh boy.

"Halosaurus?" he whispered to me when I finally made it out the door and over to him and the girls who were standing at my car.

I guessed he never heard my pet name for him before. I shrugged my shoulders as if I didn't know where that came from. Growing up in the 'Burg taught me many things—never acknowledge your guilt and smile with the best of them.

Once we got the girls' bags in the trunk and them belted in, I headed out.

We were safely driving on I-195 when I heard a pop. Suddenly the back window of my car was spider-webbing into tiny pieces. I yelled for the girls to take cover and used my hand-dandy Hector app to buzz Hal.

"Keep driving Steph, we're on him."

"Who is it?"

"We don't know, but Vince just called for backup, he's not going to get away."

Angie started to cry, but Mary Alice was enjoying the whole thing.

"Don't be a baby. Aunt Steph does this all the time."

There was another gunshot into the car. My back window was gone so the bullet shot through the car. Mary Alice was sitting upfront with me and I heard her wince. My niece was shot.

"MA are you ok?" I asked, panic-stricken.

"Burns. My shoulder. I think I'm ok."

I yelled into Hector's app. "My niece was hit."

"Keep going. Don't exceed the speed limit, but keep going. We're on him. Les is behind us and following you. We've called TPD."

I was panicking because my niece was holding her shoulder. My other niece was non-communicado.

"Angie, are you ok?" I asked. "Angie?"

I was afraid she was hit too. I couldn't turn around and drive at 65 mph.

"Angie, talk to me!" I demanded.

I yelled into Hector's app. "Angie not talking. Can you get Bobby?"

"He's coming. We already called him."

I knew all about shock as I just went through it myself. And I hoped Angie wasn't going into shock. From the backseat I heard a small voice. "I'm ok Aunt Steph. Just scared."

"Rangeman and the police will get the bad guys, they want us to continue. I'm going to keep driving until someone tells me to stop. Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yes, I'm ok," she said, starting to get up.

"Stay down Angie, please. And stay buckled in."

Looking into my rearview mirror I saw Lester and Ram pull in behind me in a black, new, shiny Explorer. Les was driving.

"Lester is behind us girls, everything's going to be ok."

Then I saw a white POS car with a Kojack light on the roof approach from the right. It's siren started to blare. I looked in my side view mirror and saw a hand directing me to pull over to the right. I slowed down, entered the shoulder and stopped.

Joe Morelli stepped out of the unmarked car and walked over to my driver's side. Lester pulled over behind him and he and Ram joined Joe at my window.

"Cupcake are you ok?"

"Mary Alice was hit. I think it's just a graze, but we need to have her looked at. Hal was following me and took off after whoever it was that shot at us."

"Uncle Joe," Mary Alice and Angie squeeled, almost in unison after noticing Joe at my window and hearing his voice. They had taken to calling him Uncle Joe when we were together and they saw him regularly. Aunt Steph and Uncle Joe.

"Lester the Jester," MA added, seeing Les come up behind Joe. Angie was smiling broadly.

Lester walked over to Mary Alice's side of the car and opened the door. She jumped into his arms and hugged him tight. Angie practically crawled out of the window to Joe. It didn't take much to make them happy. Looked like a couple of big strong men would do it.

Lester was looking at MA's shoulder while she hung onto him like he was a pony ride. I heard him talking to her.

"You remember Bobby, right? He's usually rides with me? Used to have cornrows?" he mimed.

MA nodded her head. "He's on his way here. He's Rangeman's very own private medic. Will you let him look at your arm?"

She nodded again, not taking her arms off of Lester's neck. Joe seemed to be having the same effect on Angie. Thank God everyone was calming down.

Bobby and Hector arrived a few minutes later. They both got out of the car. Bobby went over to Lester and Mary Alice and Hector came over to me. I opened my door when I saw him approach and ran into his arms.

This was a frightening experience and I was so happy my friends were here.

Mary Alice was still holding tight to Lester, but she let Bobby examine her. He had his Medic bag with him and took something out of it. He washed his hands with a hand sanitizer and cleaned MA's arm with an alcohol swab. He then put some bacitracin over the wound and a band-aid on top. He was talking to her the whole time and she was smiling.

Joe and Angie walked over to me and Hector.

"Angie told me you were going to the beach house. You can't drive this car without a rear window," Joe announced as he got close enough to talk without raising his voice.

"I know. I'm not quite sure what to do. Angie, do you still want to go to the beach?"

"Yes! And I want Uncle Joe and Halosaurus to come too."

Oh boy.

"Angie," Joe answered her, "I'm on duty today, but I can come out later if you want me to come for a visit?" Joe was looking at me, but speaking to my niece.

I thought a familiar face might be good for the girls, so I nodded to Joe that I was ok with him coming out. I probably needed to call my sister, although she seemed so relieved that the girls were out of her hair for a couple of days. And no one was really injured.

Still carrying Mary Alice, Lester and Bobby walked over to the four of us. Thankfully MA was grinning from ear to ear and sporting a Batman band-aid.

A blue and white joined our little parked caravan and as they walked over to Joe and I, Hal and Vince pulled in behind their cruiser.

Hal and Vince folded out of their SUV and joined the two patrolmen and us. I saw Hal look over at Bobby and shake his head. I gathered that meant the guy who shot out my window got away.

I'd never met these patrolmen before and they looked like rookies to me, but Joe seemed to know them and introduced them to us as Flanagan and Sanchez. Joe told them everything was under control and that he'd write up the report so they were free to leave. Joe probably knew I was carrying and didn't want me to get into any trouble. And it wouldn't look too good for my nieces to see me get arrested. Sometimes Joe can be an ok guy.

Bobby called for a tow for my car while we were deciding what to do. I hadn't asked MA yet if she wanted to continue with the plans or go home. And as she was the one who was grazed by the bullet, I thought it only fair to ask.

"MA the weekend is in your hands. Do you want to go to the beach or back home?

"Beach," she yelled. "Can Lester come?"

Uh oh. Angie wanted Joe and Hal and MA wanted Lester. I could see this turning into a full house. I looked at Les.

"Mary Alice, you met Autumn at your house a few weeks ago. We made plans for the weekend.

Her face dropped. Then I guessed she thought of something because she smiled brightly. "Autumn can come too. P-l-e-a-s-e Lester."

Never one to disappoint the horse kid, Lester took out his phone. He put Mary Alice down and walked away from us. I guessed he was having a conversation with Autumn. When he hung up he came back over and got down to MAs height.

"Mary Alice, Autumn has some deliveries to make today, but we can come out tomorrow for a few hours if you'd like."

"Yay," she proclaimed and galloped away.

"Mary Alice. Where do you think you're going?" I called to her; afraid she might gallop onto the highway if she wasn't paying attention. This horse thing could get out of control.

She galloped back over to us and looked at Hector who still had an arm around me protectively. "Who are _you_?"

"Mary Alice, Angie, this is Hector Santiago. He works very closely with me at Rangeman. He's a good friend."

"Sí, it's nice to meet you chicas," Hector smiled at them.

"Are you Spanish?" Mary Alice squinted at him demanding an answer.

"I come from Bolivia. But yes, I speak Spanish and Portuguese and English," he answered her honestly.

"Are you coming to the house with us too?" she demanded again.

"No chica. I just came here to make sure the three of you were ok. I have to go back to work."

'Oh, ok," she said satisfied.

Bobby broke in once the kid banter was over. "Steph, Hal and Vince will take you out to the house. Lester will stay here until your car is picked up. The tow truck is on its way. Call me if you need anything. Hector and I need to head back."

"Estefania, text me if you need me," Hector said, pulling me aside. "Is Joe staying over? I hear Angie invite him and he accept. I still not trust him. You want me to come out tonight after I get off?"

"It's ok Hector. Hal and Vince will be at the house with us. I'm sure they can take care of Joe if he gets out of line, but I'm pretty sure he'll behave. Thank you anyway."

"Ok chica, text me if you need me."

Hector and Bobby headed back to Rangeman. Hal took the girls' suitcases from my trunk and deposited them, the girls and me into the Explorer with Vince. I thanked Joe and said goodbye. I told him I'd email him directions once I got to the house.

Was I really doing this? Carlos was only gone two weeks and I was inviting Joe to spend some time with me and the girls? I hoped it meant that I was comfortable in my relationship with Carlos and not that I was feeling lonely or needy. I shrugged the thought from my head and settled into the back seat of the Explorer with MA and Angie.

We were once again heading east on I-195 when my buzzing phone broke me from my thoughts. I had a text from Ella. 'We can't find Carlos' ring. Are U sure U didn't leave the apartment with it?'

I knew I didn't go anywhere. It had to be in the bedroom. Maybe it rolled into the bathroom, or the walk-in closet. Maybe they just didn't check everywhere? It was the weekend and I didn't want to waste all of Ella's free time looking so I texted her back.

'It's ok, I'll look again when I get home. Thanks for everything.'

That was one more thing that was going to keep me awake this weekend. What the hell happened to Carlos' ring?

"Is everything ok?" Vince asked seeing me staring at my phone, even though there were no further text messages coming though.

I thought about telling them, and then thought better of it. They'd think I was losing my mind too, so I just nodded yes and changed the subject.

"Did you get a license plate for the car that shot at me?"

"We did and ran it through while we were chasing it. Stolen car. Makes me think it was Kraven, but I can't be sure," Hal answered for Vince.

That's what I thought too. Pearce was still stuffed in a cell at TPD awaiting trial and I hadn't been chasing down skips in weeks to make new enemies. I was glad I had the Rangeman support because Kraven really did scare the hell out of me.


	2. Chapter 2 — Crisis Management

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for reading this through first and deeming it good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :)**

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 2 — Crisis Management**

We arrived at the house about forty-five minutes later. I crawled over Angie who had fallen asleep, to get out of the Explorer for the iris scan and to fob open the gate. When I got back to the car both girls were brushing sleep from their eyes and gently stretching. I reclaimed my seat and after I fobbed the gate closed behind us, we drove up to the house.

There was a car in the driveway so I guessed Philipe was still here. I didn't want to scare him so I called his name after I opened the door so that he'd know it was me. He came out from the general area of the kitchen and greeted me warmly.

I introduced him to MA and Angie and they both feigned shyness. Big joke, Mary Alice is anything but shy and Angie is just too perfect to have that trait. He had met Hal and Vince earlier when Carlos and I were hiding out at the house and needed guards so they nodded to one another.

Philipe told me he was just putting away groceries and he would be out of our hair shortly.

"No need to rush. Let me help you," I offered, walking with him back to the kitchen, the girls following me, still acting shy.

I saw he bought ice cream and pre-made hamburger patties as well as hamburger buns and chicken breasts. Kid favs. There were also fresh corn on the cob and canned tomatoes and fresh chopped meat and garlic and basil. An eggplant—no make that two. I noticed whole grain wagon wheel pasta and knew he picked it up for a kids' version of spaghetti and meatballs. Vince would have a ball.

"MA, Angie, do you want some ice cream?" I asked while picking it up to put into the freezer. It was only eleven o'clock in the morning and my sister would probably have my head, but I knew they both had my sweet tooth.

"No Aunt Steph," Angie said, always perfect. "but can I get a glass of water, please?"

"I'll have ice cream," Mary Alice chimed in.

"Hal, Vince," I yelled into the foyer or wherever else it was they disappeared to, "do you guys want some ice cream?"

I got water for Angie and took down dishes for ice cream. Hal and Vince came into the kitchen with huge smiles on their faces, so I pulled down two more dishes.

"Philipe? Ice cream?"

"Sure."

I grabbed another dish. I looked over at Angie in case she changed her mind and brought down another dish. I found the ice cream scoop and opened the container. It was frozen solid. I put it into the microwave for thirty seconds and took it out. Don't ever say I can't cook; it was perfect.

Even Angie gave in and the six of us sat at the breakfast bar and ate our ice cream, not saying a word but enjoying every spoonful.

I remembered I promised Joe I'd send him directions so I got up to get my laptop out of my bag, taking my ice cream with me. I plugged it in as I knew there was next to no battery life left and powered it up. Carlos had put together directions to the house when we had his siblings over a couple of weeks ago, so I pulled the copy he sent me from my hard drive to make sure it was applicable coming from Trenton. It had directions from all compass points, so it was fine to send.

I typed in Joe's email address, attached the word doc along with a quick note and sent it off. I was pretty sure Joe would call before he came out and we could figure out dinner and stuff, so I went back to enjoying the last of my ice cream.

Philipe gathered the empty dishes, loaded the dishwasher and went out to check the chemical levels on the pool. Carlos had showed me how to do this last weekend, but I was glad Philipe took over the role. I didn't exactly remember what he showed me and I'd have to read the booklet that came with the chemicals.

My plan was to give each of the girls their own room. If Joe stayed over, he could have the pull-out in the den. It seemed comfortable enough to me. But once I looked at the two huge king-sized beds again I thought I'd let the girls decide if they wanted to share or if they each wanted their own.

They chose to share the smaller room, not because it was smaller but because it had the magnetic monopoly and scrabble games in the bookcase. Go figure.

Hal and Vince took the apartment over the garage and since there were two bedrooms there, I wasn't worried about them. They always seemed to do what they wanted anyway.

Our plan was to have lunch and then hit the pool, but because of our ice cream at eleven, no one was hungry, so we just hit the pool. In order to maintain guard mode, Vince and Hal stayed in Rangeman black and didn't join us for a swim. Their loss, the water was perfect.

The girls were swimming and diving and pulling me under when I didn't expect it. Basically torturing me, but they were having a good time. Around three I was getting hungry so I got out of the pool to bring some cheese and crackers and iced tea out for us to nibble on. I had everything on a tray when I heard my cell phone ring. It was outside, so I yelled for Hal to get it for me before it went to voicemail.

It was Joe. "Cupcake, I'm on my way. Anything you need me to pick up?"

"No Joe we're good, but pack a bathing suit. The pool is perfect."

"Ok, I'll see you in about an hour."

"Was that Uncle Joe?" Angie asked when I disconnected.

"Yes, Joe is on his way." I really wished they'd stop calling him 'uncle', maybe they'd get the hint if I just called him Joe and called Carlos, Uncle Carlos.

The girls still hadn't called my sister and Albert although I asked them to twice already.

"MA do you want to call your mother and let her know you're safe?" I asked once more when she got out of the pool to get some cheese and crackers.

"Later."

"Mary Alice," I said sternly, "how about now. I'll dial."

"Ok," she conceded and came over. "Do I have to tell her about the window being shot out? She'll worry."

"I'll tell her."

I called Val and Albert answered. He said she was nursing Alexa and would call us back when she was done. I calmly told him about the window in my CL65 being shot out. I omitted MA's graze as both of the girls seemed to have forgotten that part already and I'd rather tell Val than Albert. Mary Alice took my cell from me when I finished.

"Daddy, we're having a great time. We've been swimming and Aunt Steph let us have ice cream for lunch." Oh shit I was going to be in the doghouse. "And Uncle Joe is on his way," she continued.

I guessed Albert asked her to clarify that statement.

"Yes, Uncle Joe showed up when we got shot and Angie invited him to come out and swim with us. He had to work, but he's coming now. Here's Angie."

She handed the phone to her sister who just came out of the pool to grab some cheese and crackers too.

"Hi dad." "Yes, we're having fun." "No I wasn't afraid, Uncle Joe was there. Where's mommy?" "Oh ok. Bye," and she hung up. So much for the kids being traumatized.

I brought the tray over to Hal and Vince who seemed to be set up on the other side of the pool, ready to dive in in case someone needed rescuing.

"Have some cheese and crackers and this is homemade iced tea, Philipe's made it for us before, it's really good."

They each took a glass and poured some tea from the pitcher.

"Take some cheese and crackers, you guys just had ice cream for lunch and that can't be enough to sustain 250 pound men," I insisted ready to leave the rest of the tray for them if they didn't take any.

"How do you know I weigh 250 pounds?" Vince glared at me, but I knew he was secretly smiling.

"I'm assuming. You're both a little heftier and bigger boned than Carlos and he weighs 220. Am I right?"

"260," Hal answered.

"235, but it's all muscle," Vince said, tightening his chest muscles to show off. He had a nice chest. Not nearly as nice as Carlos', but nice by most standards.

"You know you guys can join us in the pool. No one is going to get past the gate and even with a long-range rife, you can't shoot out the bulletproof glass. We're safe here."

"There is no such thing as bulletproof glass," Hal said, very serious. "It's bullet-resistant and with the right caliber of bullet and the right angle, I could take it out. And if I could, I'm sure someone else could too."

I looked to Vince, who nodded in agreement. "But if Ranger just put this in, it's probably very-highly rated and should withstand some gunfire before crumbling like the rear window of your car did."

"My car wasn't bulletproof."

"Bullet-resistant," Hal said again, "no it wasn't, but safety-glass acts the same way. It splinters into a million small pieces before it crumbles."

"Ok, but Carlos told me our house was bulletproof?"

"I wasn't here when the glass was installed," Hal answered, "but unless he has retractable para-aramid or steel panels behind the windows to break the shock if a bullet were to pierce the glass, the house can only be bullet-resistant. It could have a level-8 rating which is the highest you can get, but it's still only _resistant_ to bullets.

"What's para-what did you say?"

"Para-aramid. That's the military-grade of Kevlar or Twaron. Its five times stronger than steel."

"How would we know if the house has para-aramid panels?" I asked suddenly interested.

"Let's go inside and look at your windows."

As I followed Hal in, my phone rang. I went back to get it. It was Joe.

"I'm at your gate. What do I do?"

"See the panel on the left pillar with the buzzer? Just hit it and I'll buzz you in."

He did as I asked and I buzzed him through. I remotely locked the gate behind him and he pulled up to the front of the house just as Hal, Vince and I got to the living room to check for para-aramid.

I opened the front door to let Joe in when I heard a 'holy shit' come from Vince's mouth. Joe hugged me hi and gave me a peck on the cheek. After closing the door behind us I took him by the arm over to Hal and Vince to see what the 'oh shit' was all about.

"You have para-aramid shades," Vince said, showing me shades that had always been in the open position and I didn't even realize were there. "If you draw them during gunfire you should be pretty well protected."

"Para-aramid shades?" Joe broke in. "What are you talking about?"

"Hal was just telling me that there is no such thing as bulletproof glass," I said. "We just came out here to check for either para-aramid or steel panels that could be raised or lowered but Vince found this." I said pointing to the shades. "I wonder why Carlos never told me about them?"

"Maybe he just didn't have a chance," Joe said. "Hey, why don't you show me the house?"

We were already in the living room, so I started there. I saw Joe's eyes go to the photos of Carlos and me on the fireplace mantel. He walked over and picked up my favorite, the one Lula shot. I hoped he wasn't going to say anything. The picture was shot a little over a year ago when Joe and I were either on again or off again.

He put it back. "Nice picture," he mumbled. Yeah, he made the connection.

I took him around and showed him the rest of the house, and then I led him out to the pool. MA and Angie saw him and jumped out of the water and ran to him. "Uncle Joe." "Uncle Joe."

They had to stop with this 'uncle' shit, it was making me crazy.

"Girls," I called, "_Joe_ is still dressed. You're going to get him wet." They were all over him. "MA. Angie. Please. _Joe_ has dress slacks on."

Hmmm. He did. I wondered why he wasn't in jeans. He'd obviously changed from when we saw him earlier—and I told him to bring a bathing suit. He had to know that our place wasn't formal.

"Joe do you want to change and join them in the pool? They are not going to leave you alone until you're in there with them."

"Yeah I guess I should, show me where."

I led him back down the hall. "You can have this room, the girls are next door and you both share this huge bathroom," I said, showing him the guest wing again.

"Where are Hal and Vince staying?"

"We have an apartment and quite a large gym over the garage. I can take you there later. Change and meet us out at the pool. I'm going to see if I can convince Hal and Vince to join us now that we know I have para-aramid shades and they don't need to sit with their guns in their laps."

Joe chuckled and went into his room with his bag.

I went back out to the pool to try to convince Hal and Vince, who looked really hot at this point, to join us in the pool. The girls would have a ball jumping on those huge shoulders. I just about had them convinced when Hal said he didn't bring a bathing suit.

"Carlos has a few here. They all have drawstring waists so they should fit. Come with me."

I led Hal down the hall to my bedroom while Vince went back to the apartment to change. I opened Carlos' dresser to get Hal a bathing suit and I was once again struck by the fact that Carlos wasn't here. The tears started to well in my eyes and I had to hold them back so Hal wouldn't see me cry.

"Here, this one should fit," I said "You can change in the bathroom. I'll meet you outside."

When I got out, Joe was in the pool with Angie and MA. I totally forgot how hairy he was. Carlos has sparse hair on his chest and a little tail that peeps up from the top of his shorts that's just so sexy. Joe had a chest full of dark brown fur.

Vince came back to the pool from the garage. He was right; he was all muscle. I couldn't help but look at his lats as he dove in. He took good care of himself.

Hal joined us and I felt much better. I mean why did the guys have to sit on the sidelines? Guarding us while we walked on the beach was one thing, but they took this guarding thing to an extreme.

Angie was having a ball. She had Joe _and _Hal to play with. MA was all over Vince once he got in the water. She wanted piggyback rides and she tried to teach us how to play octopus. I got out of the pool at that point and went to get some noodles. I forgot we had them in the cabana. We had noodle relay races and noodle jousting and I was exhausted.

I got out of the pool so I could think about dinner.

"Angie, Mary Alice, don't you think you should get out of the water? You've been in since noon; it's almost five. And what would you like to have for dinner? We have corn on the cob and hamburgers and…"

"Corn on the cob!" MA yelled before I got another word out. Angie echoed her. Shit, I was going to be stuck cooking. I guessed all I had to do was boil water and light up the grill.

"Ok, anyone want to help?"

I was talking to the girls but both Vince and Joe volunteered to help me. I wanted to change out of my bathing suit first, so I went back to take a quick shower. We have showers in the cabana, but they are basically just to wash the chlorine off of you. I needed the real thing. Dinner would have to wait.

I was done in ten minutes and after a quick coat of mascara and a few spritz' of my anti-frizz stuff, I brought my wet bathing suit out to dry on the railing. The girls were still in the pool playing with Hal. For someone who didn't want to get in, now he didn't want to get out.

"Girls, I think you should get out of the pool and take a shower. You can use the cabana ones if you just want to rinse off. Or you can use the ones in the house. Come on, you've been in the pool too long."

I got them out and sent MA to the bathroom in her wing and Angie used mine. When I rejoined Hal, Vince and Joe they were in the kitchen taking things out of my refrigerator. Vince had a huge pasta pot out and was soaking the corn, still in their husks, and Joe was making a salad. Hal had the grill and torches lit, and was setting the outside table. Guessed I didn't have to do too much after all.

"Cupcake, I forgot to tell you," Joe began, as I walked past him to go to the wine cellar, "Pearce is out on bail."

"What!"

"Yeah, and Vinnie wrote the bond."

"That's effed up." I almost said the f word and I would have but the girls could be within hearing distance. "He was at my engagement party when Pearce came in shooting, why would he write the bond?"

"I don't know, but Pearce was released yesterday. He could have been the one shooting at you. He seems to like his gun."

That really was fucked up. Why would Vinnie do that?

"Are you sure it was Vinnie that wrote the bond?"

"Yeah, it was on the release papers."

Now I needed that wine. I picked one out of the cellar and brought it over to the counter. I took the corkscrew from the drawer and broke the metal seal using the sharp point of the corkscrew. Vince came over and took it out of my hands.

"That could have slipped and you would have cut yourself," he said finishing the job I started and opening the wine. I got four glasses from the cabinet and Vince poured.

"What are you going to do with those soaking corns?" I asked after I took my first sip.

"Put them on the grill, we'll shuck them after they've cooked.

"Won't they dry out?"

"No the silks and husks will keep them tender. You'll like it."

"Ok if you say so."

The girls joined us in the kitchen and I handed them the glasses of iced tea I had poured for them. Joe finished up his salad and was making some dressing for it. I showed him where the condiments lived and he had out balsamic vinegar, olive oil, mustard and salt and pepper. Looked like he knew what he was doing.

The grill was hot enough to cook on, so Vince and Hal took the burgers and corn out to the grill. The girls followed, not letting their two new best friends out of their sight.

That left Joe and I in the kitchen together.

"So how are you doing, honestly?" he asked me.

"I'm ok. I miss Carlos a lot. When I went into his dresser to get Hal a bathing suit before I almost lost it. But I have his letter and I just keep re-reading it. It makes me feel better."

"He wrote you a letter?"

"Yeah. Carlos told me there would be no contact until they're released. It's some military thing. But Devon, our lawyer, gave me a letter from him after he and Tank were led away. I'd really like to see him though. I don't know how hard they are working him and when I think about it, I get angry. This whole thing is so unnecessary."

"I know Cupcake. Should we bring this out to the table?" he asked, gesturing to the salad, wine and ice-tea pitcher.

The food was really good. Roasting the corn in the husks was an excellent way to make it, but if you asked me, shucking them afterwards was harder. The husks were almost too hot to handle, so Vince and Hal won the job of shucking them all.

While we were eating my phone rang. My sister was finally calling me back. I had to tell her about MAs graze, but wasn't sure I should bring it up in front of the girls who seemed pretty over the whole thing.

I took my plate and the phone inside so I could talk to her in private. I told her everything that happened and how well the girls took it once Joe and Lester showed up and I reassured her that they were ok.

She seemed apprehensive at first but when I went back outside and put the girls on, she calmed down. They were adamant about staying for the weekend and swimming again tomorrow. And once I told her that we were all driving back in one car and _I_ wasn't doing the driving she was good with them staying on.

After dinner Angie went back into her room and came out with the magnetic monopoly game and Carlos' photo album.

"I found this in the room. Is this Ranger when he was little?" she asked opening the album to his communion picture.

"Yes, that's Uncle Carlos," I said, managing to get in the 'uncle'.

"He was very pretty."

"I don't think pretty is a word you use for boys, but yes, he was a very good-looking child. He turned into a handsome man."

"He is handsome, but so is Uncle Joe," she said, turning on the charm in front of Joe and using that 'uncle' word again. I guessed I was going to have to take them aside since my subtle approach didn't seem to be working.

We played a few games of monopoly and we let the girls win. And then it was time for them to go to bed. I walked with them to their room and told them to come and get me if they got scared during the night.

"I'm keeping my door open, just come and get me, ok?"

They said they would, but I planned on checking in on them once more before I went to sleep. I went back out to hang out with the guys for a bit.

Lester texted me that he and Autumn would be out around eleven and he wanted to know how Mary Alice was doing? I told him that both girls seemed to have forgotten the whole incident and he seemed relieved. Yeah, I got that much out of

a text message.

Joe seemed to have something on his mind and I got the feeling he wanted to talk to me, but without Hal and Vince. They weren't going to leave me so he'd better get used to talking in front of them.

"Cupcake can I talk to you outside for a few minutes?" he finally asked.

Vince and Hal looked over to me and when I nodded that it was ok, they relaxed. We were only going to be right outside and I owed Joe that much.

"Sure Joe, we can go out on the deck," and I got up and led him outside.

"What's up?" I asked after we both took seats.

"First I want to apologize," he started. "I never meant to hurt you. And I wanted to let you know that I broke it off with Terri for good."

"Good for you Joe, now you can get on with your life."

"Are you and Manoso really going to get married?"

"Joe, we love each other very much. He asked me to marry him and I accepted. Yes, eventually we'll get married."

"So, I don't stand a chance of getting you back in my life, do I?"

"Joe, you're in my life, we're friends, but as far as anything else goes, no. Carlos and I are very happy together."

He just nodded and we went back inside. Vince flashed me a look that asked if everything was ok. I nodded that it was and went into the kitchen to get myself a bottle of water.

I saw my bag sitting on the counter right where I left it this morning, so I went over to it and took out Carlos' letter. I sat down to read it again while I sipped my water and I started to cry. I got the feeling God was testing me. So many times I went back to Joe even after Carlos pointed out how unhealthy our relationship was. And here we were, in the same house for the duration of the weekend. I was strong, I could do this. And Carlos trusted me.


	3. Chapter 3 — As Luck Would Have it

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for reading this through first and deeming it good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :)**

And another **extra special thank you** goes to** Avid Reader 59 **who suggested an alternative to Vinnie just being a jerk. Great idea!

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 3 — As Luck Would Have it**

I heard some commotion in the living room, so I put Carlos' letter down on the counter and went out to see what was going on. Hal was trying to light a fire in the fireplace as the temperature had dropped and the bucket of kindling rolled over and pieces of wood were everywhere.

We picked them up as best we could and then I went into the utility closet in the laundry room to get the vacuum for the remnants. Once we got a fire going we sat in front of it and just chatted until I got sleepy.

I said goodnight to everyone and retreated down the hall to my bedroom. God, I missed Carlos. I set the alarm for seven since I knew Lester and Autumn would be out late morning and I wanted to get in a workout. Well at least a two-mile run. And I was pretty sure Hal and Vince would have the same idea.

I forgot to show Joe the garage and gym or the apartment, but he was still up talking to Hal and Vince and if he wanted to see it badly enough, he could ask them about it. I remembered I'd promised to check in on the girls, so I trudged down the hall in my pjs to see how they were doing.

They were both out cold, so I threw the thermal blanket on top of them and went back to get some much needed sleep. But I couldn't sleep. Thoughts of Carlos' missing ring kept popping into my head. I finally decided that I'd bring the girls with me to the apartment before we headed back to Val's. They seemed to have super-power eyesight. Maybe they'd see something Ella, Luis and I missed. It was only after I made this decision that I was able to get some sleep.

I woke to the alarm blaring. I always leave it across the room so I actually have to get up to turn it off. I realized that once I was up, I can usually just get on with the morning. I peed and brushed my teeth. I shoved my hair into a scrunchie and found my sneakers and work out clothes. And then I headed out to the gym.

Like I predicted Hal and Vince were already there. Hal was on the treadmill and Vince was spotting Joe at the weight bench. I guessed they told him how to find the gym. I said good morning to everyone and jumped on a treadmill. The gym has cable TV and satellite radio, so I grabbed the fob in the well of the treadmill and turned on some music.

While I was running to Katy Perry, I noticed Vince and Joe switch places and now Joe was spotting Vince. He was lifting some pretty heavy weights, no wonder he had the build he did. It was nice watching those muscles expand and contract. Not that I was attracted to Vince, I just liked looking at him, so I continued my voyeurism while he lifted. The music changed and now I was running to Nicki Minaj and Hal was done with his run. He went over to the weight rack and loaded some weights onto a bar. Not as heavy as Vince's but still pretty heavy. Heavier than Joe had been using. These guys had stamina and dedication.

While Hal lifted, unspotted, Joe and Vince came over to the treadmill, one to either side of me. I knew they were going to make me look like a whimp, but I didn't care, I could only run so fast or for so long. At least I was working out, probably much to Joe's surprise.

I got my in two and a half miles and then I cooled down. I said goodbye to Joe and Vince and I finger-waved goodbye to Hal. I went back to the house to take a shower and see how the girls were doing.

I checked on the girls first and they were still both fast asleep. It was barely eight, so I let them be and went to take my shower. I didn't need to do the full routine as no one was going to be running their hands up my legs to check for stubble, so I just washed my hair and soaped up. I still had time when I got out, so I spent a little time on my hair and put on a coat of mascara. I was almost out the door when I thought better of it and went back to add some lip-gloss. Autumn was coming over and I didn't want to be _that _outshined.

I finally felt ready to face the world so I went back out to the kitchen to put on some coffee and see what I could scrounge up for breakfast for the six of us.

When I walked into the kitchen, Joe had a couple of pieces of paper in his hand. My letter from Carlos. I forgot that I left it out. And I was shocked that he would pick it up.

"Cupcake, I didn't read this," he started. "I opened the window to get some fresh air in here and it blew off the table. I just picked it up to put it somewhere safe. I would never read your private letters."

I believed him. I knew he had integrity, which was why I was so shocked to see Carlos' letter in his hand. And the window _was_ open.

"It's ok Joe. I believe you. I shouldn't have left this out. It's all I have of Carlos right now and I need to keep it safe. Thank you for picking it up for me."

The awkwardness of the moment was lifted by Vince, coming into the kitchen shirtless. His hair still wet from his shower. I gasped when I saw him. Yes I saw him at the pool yesterday, but he had just worked out and his muscles were _big_.

Maybe the Rangeman guys should do a calendar like those firemen did. You know for charity or something. God they had such good builds.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he said, "I just wanted to bring some waters up to the apartment. Are we all going to have breakfast together?"

"That's what I was hoping. We have cereals and a there are a few dozen eggs in the refrigerator and I'm sure all kinds of other things. I was just going to put some coffee on."

"What do the girls eat? And where are they?"

"They're still asleep, or at least they were the last time I looked. And I have no idea what they like for breakfast, I think my sister gives them fruit and cereal because it's easy."

"I can make pancakes for everyone. I think I saw whole-wheat flour and rolled oats in your cupboard. Or scrambled eggs? I used to love scrambled eggs when I was a kid."

"Thank you. I can help. Wouldn't scrambled eggs be the easiest?"

"Whatever you like. Let me just bring this case of water back to the apartment," Vince said, heaving a 12-pack on his shoulder like it was nothing, "and I'll be back."

While he was gone I woke up the girls and got them to wash their faces and brush their teeth. Thank God when Vince came back he was wearing a shirt. I didn't have to look at that six-pack and those perfect pects and practically drool.

I got a bigger 'yay' for pancakes than for scrambled eggs, but wasn't sure they were going to like the whole grain kind. I was thinking we should make both. After all I had every pot and pan known to man and a huge 6-burner Viking. It wouldn't be that big of a deal.

I took out a dozen eggs to scramble and Vince took a few from another dozen for the pancakes. He had his iPad with him and I saw him refer to it before mixing together whole-wheat flour and rolled oats. Probably if he followed a recipe it wouldn't be like eating cardboard. But then again?

Joe took over coffee duty and had put fresh-squeezed orange juice, butter and syrup on the table. I brought out ketchup for my scrambled eggs and put a little of the butter Joe brought out into the frying pan I planned to use. Vince found a griddle and everything was heating up.

Vince looked over at my eggs? "Steph did you add a little milk to them?"

"Uh no, was I supposed to?"

"If you add about a teaspoon of low-fat milk for every egg you'll get nice fluffy scrambled eggs. And you need to beat them until the mixture is a uniform color before you drop them onto the pan. Do you want me to do this? The pancakes are ready to go, I can take over the eggs if you do the pancakes?"

He reminded me of Carlos. A Mr. Know-it-all. But it sounded like a deal to me. Like I said I really don't know how to cook, I just play at it when I have to.

Hal and the girls came into the kitchen while we were cooking. I definitely got the better end of the deal; all I had to do was spoon the dough on to the griddle and turn the pancakes once the bubbles formed. I noticed Vince had divided my bowl of eggs into two—guessed the pan wasn't big enough for a dozen—and he was whisking the eggs in one of the bowls while the butter melted.

Vince had thrown some frozen blueberries into the batter and these pancakes looked pretty good. I scooped up the first batch and put them on a plate and started pouring some more batter. This was actually kind of fun. The girls were melting butter and pouring syrup all over the ones I put down.

"Aunt Steph, these are good!" MA declared. I was glad. And I was happy to take the credit, even though all I did was pour and turn.

Vince's eggs looked light and fluffy and after he put the first batch on the table he went about making the second bowl. About five minutes later we all sat down to eat.

The eggs _were_ fabulous and the pancakes were pretty good too. Breakfast was a success and the girls never knew they were eating healthy. While we were cleaning up my cell phone rang. It was Bobby.

"Steph, do you have a minute?"

"Yeah. I'm here with Vince and Hal, do you want them too?"

"No just you, this is about Vinnie."

Uh oh. Even though Vinnie was a jerk for writing the bond on Pearce, he still was my cousin. I went outside to take the call.

"I wanted to be the one to tell you that Vinnie wrote the bond for Pearce Friday evening."

"Joe told me yesterday. Joe seems to think Pearce is the one who shot out my window."

"Well what Joe doesn't know is that it was a calculated plan."

"What? Vinnie calculated that Pearce would shoot out my window with his cousins' kids in the car? That's lower than even I would imagine of him."

"No Steph. We're sorry _that_ happened. I hope the girls are ok. We were calculating that Pearce would miss his arraignment. We figured there was no way he was going to show up for court. By Vinnie writing the bond, it'll allow Rangeman to go after Pearce once the date has passed. We missed an opportunity to get him the first time. When he shot that kitchen worker we had to bring in the police. Yeah we'll deliver him back to TPD, but not until after we've roughed him up a bit. He won't be preying on Rangeman and their families for quite a while."

"Other than Joe does TPD suspect it was Pearce that shot at my car? Are they going to be looking for him too?"

"They seem to think it was Kraven, although _we_ know he's not a shooter. And we got another bead on him. He was spotted in Rockland, in Orange County at yet another auction. By his ability to get between the two places so easily, we believe he's staying in northern Jersey, probably Bergen County."

"Isn't that where you get your cars from? Don't you have a big presence there?"

"There are a lot of wealthy communities in Bergen and Rangeman services the county. We don't have an office there, but we keep men in the area. If someone sees him we could get to him pretty quickly."

"So I shouldn't go at Vinnie with my claws out?"

"How are the girls doing?"

"They seem to be ok. They demanded to stay here for the whole weekend when Val offered to bring them home. And they slept through the night."

"Keep your claws in for now, we'll get Pearce and Kraven and you can use them on them."

"Ok Bobby. Thanks for calling."

"Steph before you go, how are _you_? You've had a lot happen to you in a short period of time. Are you sure you're ok?"

"Well other than missing Carlos a lot, I guess I'm doing alright. Between Rangeman and our coursework I'm staying pretty busy."

"Well any time you want to talk, my door is always open."

"Thanks Bobby."

We disconnected and I went back inside. The girls had changed into their bathing suits and were putting sunscreen on each other. There were more spaces without sunscreen than with so I went over to help them. Last thing I needed was to bring them back sunburned—my sister would go ballistic.

When I deemed that every square inch was covered I sent them out to the pool. I turned back towards the kitchen when the front gate buzzed. It had to be Lester. As I was near one of the video control panels, I checked to be sure then I buzzed him in. I buzzed the gate closed behind him.

Autumn and Lester bounded up our front steps leaving the car right in front of the house. After hello kisses Autumn pulled me aside. "I made a cake for your nieces," she whispered and she opened the box to show me. It was definitely a cartoon character, but I didn't know who.

"This is beautiful, but who is it?"

"It's Sonic the Hedgehog, they'll know. Trust me."

"Oh ok. Thank you so much."

"There's ice cream inside, so it needs to go into the freezer until about a half an hour before you serve it."

Not only was she gorgeous with that peaches and cream complexion, long red hair and green eyes, but she was talented and such a nice person. If Lester dumped her, like he dumped them all, I'd really be angry. There'd be nothing I could do about it, but I'd be angry.

I took Lester and Autumn back to the pool and then thought better of it.

"You might want to change before you go out there, MA and Angie got Joe wet yesterday when they caught sight of him.

"It's ok, these are old jeans. I don't care," Lester said.

"I think I'd like to change, I have to go to New York tonight, and I wasn't planning on stopping home first," Autumn said.

"Are you still working with the Four Seasons?" I asked, taking them down to the master suite to change.

"Yes, but we're shooting for the Food Network tonight. I have to be there at seven, Lester said he'd come with me. I think he wants to meet all the celebrities."

I left them at my door, they'd both been here before and could figure out how to get out to the pool. If Autumn really needed to be in the city by seven they'd need to leave by 4:30 if they were driving, traffic on a Sunday back to the city is God-awful. They'd be better off taking the train.

The girls and Hal were in the pool when I went outside. I mentioned to Vince and Joe that Lester and Autumn arrived and I sunk down in a chair to take it easy for a few minutes. Playing mom is hard work.

I was thinking about what Bobby said. Obviously Rangeman knew about Pearce when Bobby and Hector and Lester and Ram met my car, why didn't they tell me then? I hated getting information after the fact and Carlos knew this. I was pretty sure he'd told the guys to keep me in the loop. So why weren't they?

I was ready to call Bobby and read him the riot act when Les and Autumn came out to the pool. MA saw Lester and scurried up the steps to get to him.

"It's Lester the Jester."

She was all over him. I was glad I mentioned changing to the two of them before they set foot on the deck. Although Lester was the main attraction Autumn got hugs and air kisses too. My sister taught them well. A little fake to the left and a little fake to the right. For nine and eleven they had it down.

I wanted to pull Lester aside and ask if they knew about Pearce's release when they all replied to Hal's call for assistance. But of course they did. Bobby just told me it was a calculated plan. I was getting angry all over again.

"Lester," I called before he had a chance to jump into the pool, "can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure Beautiful, what's up?" he asked walking over to me and sitting down in the adjoining Adirondack chair.

I told him about Bobby's call this morning and that I felt angry and hurt for not being included in the information until after the fact. I mentioned that Carlos promised me that there'd be no secrets and that that shouldn't change because he was serving time.

"I'm sorry Steph, it all happened very quickly. We just found out that his arraignment was coming up on Tuesday and that his brother tried to post bail but didn't have enough collateral, so he went to Vinnie. We had a conversation with Vinnie Friday night and he wrote the bond."

"So why didn't you tell me Friday night then? Or Saturday morning before I picked up the girls? You knew I was on his list, you were at my engagement party when he came in shooting?"

"Bobby didn't think he'd act, he just thought he'd run. I'm sorry. We're all sorry, it was a misjudgement on our part."

"Please include me in things that involve me from now on. I'm serious Lester, Carlos promised me that there would be no secrets if he could help it, and this was something that didn't need to be kept secret."

"I'm sorry Steph as I said it was bad judgement. We'll try to include you in everything from now on. I'll make sure Bobby's on track with that too."

"Thank you. That's all I ask. And I'm sorry I came on so strong. I hope you know me well enough to know it's not personal."

"I know Steph. Don't worry."

Well at least I got it off my chest. Wasn't sure how much good it was going to do, but I got it off my chest. Then I realized I was going to have to make lunch for everyone. I hoped someone whould help me again or all we'd get was PB&J or cheese and crackers. I knew I was having guests, I really should have been more prepared. I went inside to get my iPad, if Vince was able to find recipes online, maybe I could too.

I came back out and Autumn came over to sit with me.

"Not going in the pool Steph?"

"I was in all day yesterday and I really should think about making lunch for everyone and to be honest, I really can't cook. I was hoping I could google something and come up with some simple recipes."

"I can help. As I think you know, I went to the French Culinary Institute. We had to take everything, baking is just my area of specialization. What do you have in the refrigerator? And go to epicurious dot com."

"What's that?"

"It's a compilation of all the recipes from all the cooking magazines. It's a good place to start."

I did as I was told and ran down what I could remember that was in my refrigerator and cupboards.

"Well we can make an Insalada Caprese salad. It's easy and you have all the ingredients. Look it up."

Again I did as asked and realized what sounded so difficult was really just a tomato, basil and mozzarella salad with drizzled oil and balsamic vingear over it. I could do that. She also suggested making a dish with some kind of pesto sauce since it was easy and didn't require a lot of time. I looked up pestos on epicurious and found a penne with tomato pesto and smoked mozzarella.

Autumn shook her head. "You are already serving tomatoes and mozzarella. What about this?" she asked, pointing to chicken breasts with arugula pesto that got a three and a half fork rating.

She suggeseted we check the reviews before we set off into the kitchen. On recommedations from people who made the dish before, we decided to use grilled chicken and to mix half arugula and half basil for our pesto.

Autumn was going to make the pesto with the chicken and it was my job to make the Insalada Caprese. She just glanced at the recipe and left me with the iPad and we both went inside.

Vince came in to see if we needed any help once he heard us banging pots and pans around. Autumn gave him the job of grilling the chicken, but she wanted to make the pesto first so she could spread a little on the chicken before Vince grilled it. She worked like a chef and had everything out and measured in minutes. Pesto really is a fast thing as you just throw all the ingredients in a food processor and push the button.

She seasoned her finished product with salt and pepper and put a little on the chicken for Vince to bring out to his already heated grill.

I was still cutting slices of mozzarella.

Autumn smiled at me at cleaned some basil and then sliced some tomatoes while I finished masacring the cheese, trying really hard to not turn it into a stringy mess. We were finally done and she pulled out some pretty serving dishes while Vince set the table.

Once again, I was saved by people who knew what they were doing.

Lunch was fabulous and I didn't even have to clean up as Hal and Joe took on that chore. I kind of liked having a full house.

We all went into the pool after lunch and enjoyed the girls chatter and their attempts at flirting with Lester, Joe, Hal and Vince.

"Take the cake out of the freezer," Autumn whispered to me. "If you bring it outside, but keep it out of the sun it should soften up in about ten minutes."

I follow orders really well. So I did as she asked and put on coffee.

MA and Angie spied the cake sitting out and went to check it out.

"Sonic the Hedgehog," Angie yelled, being the first to get to the cake.

"No way," Mary Alice said skeptically as she made her way out of the pool and over to the cake for a peek.

"You made Sonic the Hedgehog! How cool is that?" MA said and went over to Autumn to give her a hug. Angie did the same.

I think having the girls' recognize her creation and focus their attention on her made her happy. We cut the cake and had some with cofffee and iced tea. It was even better than our engagement cake. No wonder she was getting a special on the Food Network. She was good.

After dessert Les and Autumn had to head back so they could get into the city for her shoot. We said goodbye to them and I thanked Autumn for everything she did for me. Now I even knew where to go it I were to attempt to cook again. I bookmarked the site.

We needed to leave in about an hour so I got the girls out of the pool and had them shower up. I was getting ready to go in and take my shower when my iPhone rang.

"We were just shot at and Autumn was hit in the shoulder." Lester said more serious than he usually is. "It's more than a graze, the bullet went through. Bobby is meeting us at St. Francis. Be careful."

Shit. I didn't like this. I didn't like that MA was shot and now Autumn. We were going to have to be on high alert.

Joe insisted that he would be ok driving by himself, no one was going to shoot a police officer and he was not a Rangeman employee. He promised to put his Kojack light on as he went through Trenton, so we let him leave. He said he'd call me once he got home.

Unfortunately we weren't so lucky. Bobby stood firm that one of the Hummers come for us, so we had to wait until it could be deployed. He wasn't taking another chance.


	4. Chapter 4 — Some Eye Openers

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for reading this through first and deeming it good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :)**

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 4 — Some Eye Openers**

I was pretty sure Rangeman pulled some strings and got Autumn into the ER right away. And I was also pretty sure a private plastic surgeon was on his way to St. Francis. Lester knows a little first aid, so I hoped he had been able to stop the bleeding and get her to the hospital without further incident. And if luck was on our side maybe Autumn would make her shoot after all.

We were still waiting for our Hummer when I decided to call my friend Sunny Raspich who works as a nurse in the ER at St. Francis. We went to high school together. If she wasn't on duty she would know who was and would be able to get me a status on Autumn.

When she didn't answer her cell, I knew she was working and would get back to me as soon as she could. I decided to try Rita Raguzzi, she also worked ER. She picked up on the second ring.

The thing with the 'Burg is that we are a well-oiled gossip machine. We could get information on anyone within minutes. I told Rita about Autumn and she was going to call Stan Woljarski who was manning the ER desk. She said she'd get back to me in a few minutes.

An hour had passed since our Hummer had been called and it still hadn't arrived. I was pacing. More in anticipation as to what Rita would get back to me with, but I was pacing nonetheless. Finally my phone rang. It was Rita with an update.

"Like your friend said, the bullet passed _through_ her shoulder. It was a clean wound although there was quite a bit of blood loss. She's with the plastic surgeon right now and is expected to make a full recovery. Nothing vital was hit."

"Did they have to knock her out?" I asked, still having hope she'd make her shoot.

"No, just a local. But they're going to stabilize that arm for a few days, she's not going to be able to use it."

"Thanks so much Rita."

I knew Lester would do whatever he could to get Autumn to her show. After all she was one of the featured chefs. She could probably be late and it would still be ok, they could shoot everyone else first. Although I wondered if she could work at all with her arm in a sling. Maybe Lester could be her assistant and he could get himself on television after all?

I was pulled from my daydream by Hal letting me know the Hummer just buzzed from the gate.

He let them in and Binky and Erik pulled up to the door. Hal took the girls' bags and I ushered them into the car. I made sure all the lights were off and I closed up. Even if I forgot something, Philipe would be by during the week to check on the place. I wasn't as thorough as I would have been if no one were going to be here for a few weeks.

I had told the girls I wanted them to come with me to the apartment before we took them home so that they could help me look for Carlos' ring. They were cool with that _and_ they wanted to see Rex. Since Binky and Erik were going to take them to Val's after we stopped off, all seven of us were going to go up to the seventh floor to search. If seven people couldn't find that ring I didn't know what I was going to do.

We made it back to Trenton in record time for a Sunday evening and buzzed through the gate. Angie and Mary Alice had never been to Rangeman before and were taking everything in. They wanted to see the control room before they left, so I promised them I'd take them down for a tour.

We parked in my spot—I guessed my car was still being repaired—and we took the elevator up to seven. I fobbed us in and showed the girls around. After they said hello to Rex there really was not a lot to see, but I showed them around anyway. Once they were satisfied that there were no secret chambers in the walls, we took to the bedroom for our search.

Mary Alice said she was going to go through all the shoes in the walk-in closet in case it had bounced and landed in a shoe. Angie was going to scour the bathroom and the five of us were going to concentrate on the bedroom itself.

Five minutes into our search Mary Alice screamed, "I found it!" and came bounding out of the closet with Carlos' ring in her hand. Thank God! Diesel always said she was special. I hugged her and thanked her. Then I hugged and thanked Angie too so she wouldn't feel left out.

I put the ring in my dresser. I'd put it back into the safe later. I didn't want to have to explain the iris scan or show anyone the safe right now.

I was worried about Autumn so I texted Les while we walked down to five so we could show the girls the inner workings of Rangeman. Hector was on duty so I greeted him hello and introduced him to MA and Angie. He sat them down at one of the monitors and showed them all the lights that related to the Rangeman cars on the street. The he showed them the other lights that represented all the residences and businesses that Rangeman secured.

"I have new ideas for these monitors like the cars on my traffic App. These lights are just old fashioned and easy to mix up," he told the girls and me.

I didn't know he had plans to renovate the monitors, but that certainly was a good idea. This was a boring job and watching car and house icons would be much more interesting.

I got a ding on my phone that I had a text. I hoped it was from Les.

LESTER: "Autumn's out of surgery. Shes ok. Her sister went to gig in her place. No one will know the difference. They've been taking each other's place since 2nd grade."

STEPHPLUM: "Is her sister a pastry chef 2?"

LESTER: "No they're twins. Amber's a kindergarten teacher, but she knows what Autumn does and can talk it."

STEPHPLUM: "Do they look alike?"

LESTER: "Very hard to tell them apart. I think Autumn is prettier :)."

STEPHPLUM: "Were U able to retrieve the bullet?"

LESTER: "It embedded in my dashboard. I dug it out. Bobby's going to run ballistics on it."

STEPHPLUM: "Good. Stay with Autumn. Send my love."

LESTER: "Will do."

I looked up at Hal and Vince who were watching me text. "Did you know Autumn's an identical twin?"

They both shook their heads no. And the girls and Hector turned to look at me.

"Her twin sister Amber is taking her place on the Food Network shoot. Autumn is out of surgery and Les is staying with her. He retrieved the bullet and Bobby is bringing it back. If we get a positive that it came from Pearce's gun, then he's forfieted his bail and Rangeman can go after him right away. We won't have to wait till he skips on his court appearance," I said, relaying everything I knew and adding my own interpretations to Hal, Vince and Hector.

Binky and Erik joined us in the control room, I told them what I knew and then we went back down to the Hummer to take the girls home to Val.

Hal and Vince were going to follow us in another car in case we needed backup. I thought that was overkill as we were in a bullet-_resistant_ Hummer, but who was I to make a big deal out of it?

When we got to Val and Albert's house, Hal and Vince got out of their car and Binky and Erik out of mine. The four of them formed a human shield around the three of us as we made our way up the steps.

Albert opened the door. Having been with me on a couple of stakeouts, he didn't seem too surprised and invited all of us in. MA and Angie were happy to see Val and Albert and greeted them with kid chatter about their weekend. All talk of bullets and shootings and para-aramid shades left out. They were pretty good kids if I had to say so myself.

After we said goodnight to my sister, Albert and the girls we went back out to our separate cars, the guys still forming a human shield around me. I was with Erik and Binky again and Hal and Vince followed at a safe distance.

Suddenly a shot hit our front windshield. Followed by another to our side. Binky continued to drive while Erik called it in to Hal and Rangeman. The other Hummer was deployed. A few of the Rangeman cars that were in the area were redirected and I watched Hal drive off after our shooter's car. I hoped they got him. Then I wondered why we didn't turn around and join the chase, after all the girls weren't with us.

"Binky, shouldn't we join them? We're in a bullet-_resistant_ car?"

"It's bulletproof. But we're heading right back to Rangeman. I'm following orders to keep you safe Steph."

"You guys are going to have to explain bulletproof versus bullet-resistant to me. Hal told me there's no such thing as bulletproof?" If we couldn't join the chase then they were going to have to clarify this one for me.

"Once we're back at Rangeman I'll take you through it," Erik said from the passenger seat where he was running command-central.

In minutes we were back at Haywood and Erik fobbed us through. Even before we were able to park, Manny and Ceasar took the Hummer from us and headed back out. We went up to five to watch everything from the control room floor. Or watch as best we could with just audio and blinking lights. Hector's new monitors would be a welcome addition.

Binkie took up monitor duty with Hector and they both seemed pretty busy with headphones and secret code words that I didn't understand. Ranger had promised me he'd teach me the lingo, but we never got around to it.

"We got 'em!" Binky said, listening to his headphones and pointing to some lights on the monitor screen. I moved closer to see what he was talking about. Hector switched on a live video feed and we watched Rangeman surround a dark green older-model BMW.

Pearce was still shooting, but there was nowhere for him to go. I saw a few Rangeman get out of their cars dressed in full combat regalia and head towards the Beemer. I saw one of our men get hit in the chest with a bullet. It was almost a point blank shot. He reeled and went down. I knew from experience that even a shot to a bulletproof vest packed quite a punch and I hoped it wasn't Manny who was hit.

I watched one of our guys shoot Pearce in the torso. He wasn't suited up so that was probably a fatal shot. Squad cars joined the Rangeman cars and officers in bulletproof vests and helmets joined the group. Obviously we called the police.

An ambulance, no two ambulances followed. One scooped up the downed Rangeman and medics from the other went to Pearce. It looked like they were trying to revive him. Finally they just shook their heads and turned back to their vehicle. I guessed they didn't deal with dead bodies. That was the coroner's job.

It was Ceasar who took the bullet to the chest. They took him to St. Francis and Bobby and a few other Rangeman were headed there to check his status and to be available for transfusions if the bullet penetrated the vest. I didn't know Ceasar as much as I knew a lot of the other Rangemen but if he needed blood and I was the right type, I'd go to St. Francis too.

Poor Bobby. All he seemed to do today was run to the hospital. Wondered if he had a chance to send the scan from the bullet from Lester's car to ballistics yet. I decided to go to my office and check for myself. I powered up my computer and checked the Rangeman log. Yes, he sent it. I followed the path to see if there was a match on it, but nothing was back from the ATF* or FBI databanks yet.

Hector came into my office as I was checking and sat down.

"Chica, how are you doing?"

"I'm ok Hector. I don't like that he shot at Autumn and Mary Alice, but at least he didn't hurt anyone too badly. How's Ceasar?"

"The bullet penetrated the vest. He has a collapsed lung and a few broken ribs.

"Will he be ok?"

"We called in a pulmonologist. I'm not sure how they do it, but they need to re-inflate the lung. I'm sure he'll be in the hospital for a few days. He was lucky. I'm worried about _you_ though. You lose weight and you just don't seem like yourself. Did the cop give you a hard time this weekend?"

I told Hector about losing Carlos' ring before I left and how MA found it, so I didn't need to worry about that anymore and now I'd be able to get some sleep.

"Chica, you didn't answer me. Did the cop bother you?"

"Not really. He asked if Carlos and I were really going to get married and when I told him yes, he backed off."

"He backed off?"

"Yeah. I think he really wanted us to give it another shot. He told me he broke it off with Terri for good and then he asked if there was a chance for him to be in my life again. I told him he was already in my life since we were friends and that had to be enough. He got it."

"I hope he got it. I still not like him."

"It's really ok Hector." And I wanted him to know what a good guy Joe could be so I told him about the letter.

"He read it, you know," Hector said.

"One thing I have to say for Joe, he has integrity. I believe him when he said he didn't."

"Maybe he not read it word for word, but he scan it. Human nature. He want to know how Ranger feels about you. I tell you Estefania, he still care and you need to be on your toes around him."

I knew Hector meant well but this was like the third time he'd said this to me. I didn't want to get angry with him, but I wanted him to drop it.

"I'm sure once Carlos and I get married it will sink in."

"Not sink in Chica and you and Ranger not even set a date. He an opportunist or he never would have come out to your house. He going to try until you say no."

"I said no."

"Let's hope he heard you. Listen Estefania, I not trying to argue with you, I just see from different point of view. Please not be angry with me."

"I'm not angry with you Hector. If anything I'm angry with myself for agreeing to have him out, but nothing happened and I think we can really be friends now."

"I hope so. You really should get some sleep, we have class at nine tomorrow."

"I'm going to go up." Then I thought about it for a minute. "Thank you Hector, you really are a good friend."

"De nada. Go to bed. I not leaving until I see you turn off your computer and head upstairs," he said seriously.

I listened to him.

*Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms


	5. Chapter 5 — Finally Some Word

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for reading this through first and deeming it good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :)**

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 5 — Finally Some Word**

During the early part of our class, which was not take down techniques today but classwork that we would need to know for our final exams, Bobby came over to our area of the gym. "Steph, can I see you in private?"

Uh oh. "Sure Bobby, just let me grab my things." I wasn't sure how long this would take, but I assumed it would be a while or he would have waited for our lunch break, which was in forty-five minutes.

I closed my coursebook and threw it, my pen and pad into my bag and followed Bobby out of the gym. He didn't say anything but led me to the elevator and up to five. I followed him down the hall and into his office. He motioned for me to sit down and after I did, he closed and locked his office door. Uh oh. Something was really up.

It was then that I noticed that his other chair was occupied. It was Devon. This was either serious or seriously fucked up.

"Steph," Devon spoke to me, "I just took Bobby through what I learned and he insisted I relay this information directly to you."

I nodded and listened.

"What Ranger and Tank have been doing as part of their hard labor, is building roads in rural Georgia. They've been working along with two other ex-special forces men from Washington State who had run missions for the government and were recently courts martialed. There are a lot of similarities between these two men and Ranger and Tank."

Ok, I didn't know this, but it was nice to get information.

"Unfortunately," Devon continued, "they were all involved in an accident early Saturday morning."

"Accident, what kind of accident?" I broke in, "Is Carlos alright?"

"Ranger and Tank have been moved to Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda. They both have injuries, but will be ok."

"What happened? Can I see him?" I blurted out again, not fully letting Devon tell his story.

"Steph, please, let me continue. I'll answer what I can after I tell you what I know."

I nodded that I would be quiet, and I sat on my hands so I would remember not to interrupt again.

"They've been building the same road for the last two and a half weeks. It's backbreaking work, but I understand they were ahead of schedule. Usually at the beginning and end of every day Ranger would drive the truck back and forth to the detention facilities. We all know how Ranger likes control when it comes to driving. I guess his pattern was noticed.

On Saturday morning, Rick Wakeland, that's one of the men from Washington, got into the driver's seat first deciding he was going to drive that day. As soon as he turned the ignition, all four men heard the slight whoosh you unfortunately grow to know is a bomb about to explode. Ranger and Tank were walking towards the vehicle with Jason Wright, the other detainee. Rick leapt from the truck. Ranger, Tank and Jason, did a tuck and roll to get as far away as they could when it exploded.

"Unfortunately, they didn't get far enough away. Rick was killed by the blast. Ranger, Tank and Jason all received shrapnel wounds and were knocked out by exploding truck parts. Ranger was impaled in his upper leg by a jagged piece of metal. Another large piece of burning metal hit Tank in his mid back. And Jason received similar burns to his torso.

"The ambulance took them to the local hospital, which is not much more than a clinic. I wasn't notified of any of this until last night when Tank and Ranger were out of the ICU and insisted on speaking to me. I had them airlifted to Walter Reed and I just got back from the hospital.

"Both Tank and Ranger are having surgery this morning. Tank is going to need a skin graft to cover the burn on his back and thankfully Ranger's impalement did not sever any arteries or break any bones, but it did do tendon and muscle damage. All three men had shrapnel removed in the local Georgia hospital, which was all they were qualified to do, if you ask me."

Devon stopped to take a drink from the bottle of water in front of him and I saw that as my cue to ask a couple questions.

"Obviously someone planted a bomb that was meant to kill Carlos. Do we think it was Briggs?" I paused and when Devon didn't answer right away, I continued. "Can I go down to Bethesda to see him? And does Lula know yet?"

Bobby answered while Devon put his water down. "_Obviously_ the bomb was planted. We believe Ranger's pattern of driving the truck was noted and he was the intended target. We can't say for sure that it was Briggs' doing, but if I had to bet on it, I'd say he had something to do with it."

Devon took up where he left off after drinking the water in front of him.

"We found out a little more information which we are going to act on. As you know Ashley and Megan stayed on in DC to work on the appeals and to see if they could dig up any thing else on Briggs."

"Is this something Lula needs to hear, too?" I interrupted again, not wanting her to hear something third-hand.

"Yes, eventually. I wanted to take you through this first. I'll talk to her later."

I nodded and he continued. "Remember Ashley found that court martial paperwork against Briggs that was never filed?"

I nodded again. "Well we found someone who's now a Captain, Robert Azzopardi. He was staff sergeant over both Ephraim James and Allen Garvey at the time and Megan interviewed him. He said Briggs ran special assignments with some of the men quite often so it was not unusual for two or three men in the unit to be gone for a couple of days under Briggs' command.

Azzopardi told Megan that he knew both James and Garvey were gay, but the policy was 'don't ask, don't tell,' so it was never mentioned. One afternoon Briggs took both James and Garvey with him on one of his special assignments. When they came back the next day both men seemed quite shaken up. He said they acted like they had post-traumatic stress. James seemed to be having a particularly hard time so Azzopardi took Garvey aside to ask what happened. At first Garvey said that nothing happened, but when James passed out doing CTT he asked Garvey again.

"Garvey told him that they were both bound hands to feet and that Briggs' made him watch while he repeatedly raped James with a small club. He told him that he yelled for Briggs to stop when he saw James bleeding rectally, but Briggs just kept at it saying, 'this is what happens to sissy boys, watch closely because you're next.' Azzopardi wrote up the incident, but somehow the paperwork disappeared. He asked about it a few days later when Briggs still seemed to be in charge.

He told Megan that he was the one who suggested Garvey and James start courts martial proceedings and that he introduced them to SGT Eileen O'Malley, so that she could do the write up against Briggs. He didn't know what happened after that because Garvey, James and others in the unit were shipped off to Afghanistan where he heard that both were killed in combat. He told Megan that he'd testify against Briggs. He said he had nothing to lose at this point since he's retiring at the end of the month."

Wow. No make that double wow. "So we have something? We can start a court martial against him?" I asked.

"We can try. As Garvey, James and O'Malley are all deceased, they may say Azzopardi's testimony is hearsay. But we can certainly try to get something through."

"I know I asked before but I didn't get an answer, can I see Carlos?"

"Unfortunately the policy is 'no contact' until after their time is served. As their lawyer I was able to get in. We are trying to have their term reneged. They've already served three weeks and were targets of an assassin. I'm hoping the paperwork I just submitted will get them out and they will be able to come home to recuperate."

"When will you know? When will they be out of surgery?"

And then something hit me. "Devon, you said the bomb went off Saturday morning? Can I ask around what time?"

"It was approximately 7am, why?"

"This is going to sound really screwy to you, but Bobby will understand…" and I proceeded to tell them about my noticing Carlos' ring missing at around seven in the morning on Saturday and about Ella and Luis scouring the apartment for it and not finding it. And how it wasn't found until last night around seven when my niece Mary Alice picked it out of one of my shoes.

"Um, what time did you get the call last night that they were out of the woods?" I asked Devon, after I finished my little trip into the supernatural.

"It was a little after seven. Listen I don't believe in mumbo jumbo, so if you were going to suggest…"

Bobby interrupted Devon, "I'm sure you don't know this, but Ranger and Steph have some kind of unusual connection. They can each tell when the other is near. I for one wouldn't put it past Ranger to have been trying to send Steph a message. And I don't believe in mumbo jumbo either, but you just don't know these two like I do."

"Hmmm," Devon said, not convinced at all.

I tried my other questions again, hoping to change the subject. I didn't want Devon to dwell on my spidey sense or Carlos' unusual 'divining rod' when I got near.

"When will you know if they can come home to recuperate? And when will they be out of surgery?"

"I should know later today if my appeal was accepted. Ranger's surgery is to repair tendon and muscle damage, remove bone chips if there are any and prevent arterial occlusion and compartment syndrome. I was told it would be about a three-hour surgery. Tank's is a little more complicated as they are going to take some skin from his thigh and 'stretch' it for use on his back. He should be under for about five hours."

"I would really like to be there when Carlos wakes up. Can't Rangeman arrange something? I can pretend to be a nurse. God I've been in the emergency room enough. I could fake that one pretty well." I was pleading, as I was desperate to see Carlos.

"Tell you what," Devon said, "I want to tell Lula what I just told you, then I will check on the status of my appeal. If it was approved the three of us can go down to Bethesda together."

"The hell you will," Bobby broke in. "Someone is trying to kill Carlos. If you go down, a team goes down with you. I already called some of our contract workers in DC to stand guard outside the OR rooms so no unauthorized persons can get through. They'll stay once they are out of surgery too."

"Fine," Devon said, "we'll bring how every many guards you deem necessary. Can we end this meeting now so I can go over this all again with Lula?"

"I'm sorry Devon," Bobby apologized, "I forgot for a minute that you've been flying since last night and must be exhausted. I'll get Lula."

I tried to go back to my class, but as it was now 1:30 and we were on to ballistics training, I thought my knees would be too shaky to be able to aim straight. Instead I went to the break room to see if I could find something to eat since I hadn't had anything since early this morning.

I pulled a tuna salad sandwich on whole grain out of the basket and sat down to unwrap it. Suddenly, I just lost it and burst into tears. I didn't want Carlos to be hurting and I wanted to see him. Badly.

Just as suddenly as my emotional outburst, arms were around me. I turned around to see who was there and it was Lester. "Beautiful, what's the matter?"

Between sobs and heaves I was able to tell Les about Carlos and Tank.

"I don't want to leave you like this, Steph, but I have to take Autumn home from the hospital. They kept her overnight and I want to bring her here so she's not by herself. She can't use her arm for at least a week. I think Ram and Cal just came on duty. Stay right here, I'm going to see if I can find them."

I nodded yes and took a bite out of my sandwich. Tears and tuna don't go that well together, but I forced myself to take yet another bite. In what seemed like a matter of seconds Les was back with Ram and Cal. They sat down at the table with me. I was sure Lester must have told them what was going on, I don't usually cry at the drop of a pin, but I felt like I needed to explain the situation to them anyway.

I told them about my meeting with Devon and Bobby and about Tank and Carlos and that I wanted to go down to Bethesda to see him.

"I'll go with you," Ram said. "I'll volunteer for guard duty."

"Me too," Cal interrupted. "I'm sure Bobby will let us accompany you."

"But we can't go unless Devon's appeal has been accepted. There some stupid 'no contact' rule."

"Bullshit," Cal said, "ever see anyone try to keep me out of somewhere I wanted to go? We'll get you in." He was right of course; most people were intimidated by that flaming skull on his forehead. Cal could probably go _anywhere_ he wanted.

They definitely made me feel better. They were easy to talk to and fun to be with, but then I felt guilty that I was keeping them from their jobs. "Don't you guys have work to do?"

"Don't worry about us. Lester asked us to stay with you and that's what we're doing. He'll send someone else out."

My cell phone started to buzz. I usually get texts, but this was a call. I looked at the readout to see who it was before I picked up, I certainly didn't want to talk to my mother or Joe. It was Devon.

"How soon can you be ready to go? The appeal went through. Lula just went downstairs to throw some clothes in a bag."

"Give me five minutes to go upstairs. Is Bobby still with you? Ram and Cal just volunteered to be our bodyguards."

"Yes Bobby is still here. I'll tell him. Meet me in Bobby's office as soon as you pull your stuff together. We got a NetJets flight on standby."

I had put my phone on speaker as soon as I saw it was Devon, so Cal and Ram knew what was going on. They took off towards Bobby's office and I took the elevator up to seven to pack a small bag.

While I was waiting for the elevator I texted Hector so he would know what was going on.

STEPHPLUM: "Leaving you a voicemail message. Check."

It was too many words for a text so I called him. I knew he was on the gun range and wouldn't be able to get to his phone so I gave him the abridged version while the elevator chugged up to seven. I told him I'd call him tonight with an update. Hector was part of my Rangeman family.


	6. Chapter 6 — Vital Signs

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for reading this through first and deeming it good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :)**

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 6 — Vital Signs**

One of the Hummers drove us to the airport. It was me and Lula, Devon, Ram and Cal. As everyone was super-suspicious of anything happening to our flight the flight safety crew had done a check prior to our arrival and were planning to do another once we planed. They weren't taking any chances.

I envisioned Carlos with tubes and gauze and bandages and felt nauseous. Yes, I'd seen him in the hospital after Scrogg shot him and he looked pained and wounded, but this was different. I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know how badly he'd been pelted with the shrapnel from the exploding truck. I didn't know the extent of injury the metal impalement ripping through his leg had made and I wasn't even sure if he was going to be conscious. I knew Carlos didn't like anyone to see him weak. And I assumed that meant me too.

But I closed my eyes and pulled up my big girl panties. I could do this and I was hoping my presence would make a big difference in Carlos' recovery. He always said that I healed him and that I got him through his worst missions. Let's hope that held true for hospital stays too.

We were airborne and I didn't even realize it. I was so in my own world and was only drawn out of it by Ram touching my arm. "Steph are you ok?"

"I'm sorry Ram, what were you saying?"

"I was just asking if you were ok, you were making some pretty pained noises, are you sure you're all right?"

"Actually, I'm not sure of anything. I was just thinking about Carlos. I'm not sure if he's going to want me to see him with tubes and bandages and whatever else they'll have him hooked up to after surgery."

"I think he'll just be happy that you're there. Why don't you get some rest? If you don't mind me saying so you look like you haven't been sleeping well…or eating."

"It's that obvious?"

"You have dark circles under your eyes and you look like you've lost about ten pounds. I understand what you're going through. I won't be one to criticize you if you take a nap."

"Thank you Ram, or should I call you John?"

"You can call me John if you want. Megan calls me John."

"I know," I smiled, "that's where I got it from. Have you seen her? She and Ashley seem to be spending a lot of time in DC."

"She was home for the weekend. I saw her, but she spent a good part of the time we were together writing up her notes for Devon," he said with a look on his face that I knew was a combination of frustration and endearment. Yeah, he was hooked.

"She did a great job finding that Captain Azzopardi guy and getting him to promise to testify."

"She did. I'm really proud of her. Listen Steph, why don't you try to get some rest," he said, blowing me off like he didn't want to talk about Megan's job. Hmmm, I wondered if _that_ was the source of frustration?

I closed my eyes to think about it and found myself nodding off wondering how Bobby and Ashley were making it work.

I woke up as the plane jostled slightly on its landing and the pilot applied the air brakes to coast us to a stop. I looked out the window. This was Ronald Reagan, where we'd landed before. I guessed this was the closest airfield to the hospital too.

I needed a second to get my bearings; I must have been in a deep sleep. I knew we didn't have much time. I was sure a Hummer and a few strong men in black would meet the plane when it taxied to its gate. Wondered if I had enough time to pee? Well just too bad, they'd have to wait for me. I got up and made my way to the bathroom as we taxied off the active runway.

I peed and washed my face with cold water to snap the sleep out of my eyes. As I was coming out of the bathroom, Lula was outside ready to go in. Yeah, we'd make them wait, I said to myself, feeling smug. And since I had time, I stopped at the mirror outside the bathroom and put a little concealer under my eyes to hide the shadows. I added some mascara and a couple of swipes of blush to hide the paleness and maybe even-out my hollow cheeks. Yeah Ram was right; I'd lost weight and wasn't sleeping. And I looked it.

I was correct, there was a Hummer and two additional men in black waiting for us on the tarmac. Once Lula joined us, the five of us deplaned and were somehow by secret code, surrounded by Ram, Cal and the two new Rangemen and ushered into the waiting Hummer. Our trip to Walter Reed took about a half an hour and we were left off in front of a side entrance. Once again the Rangemen surrounded us as we made our way in.

We were given a special room to wait in so we didn't have to sit with the other military families. Tank was still in surgery and Carlos had just been brought into the recovery room.

A nurse came into our room about ten minutes after we got there and said one person could go up and see Carlos. He was just coming out of the anesthesia. I was the elected official, and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

I followed her to a private elevator and we went up to another floor. We went through a set of double doors and then another, like an airlock. And then I saw him. He had an oxygen tube in his nose, an IV attached to his right arm and bandages all over his left. I couldn't see what else was going on because he was swaddled in a blanket, but I was sure there were bandages and tubes under there too.

He saw me right away and I saw him smile. It brought tears to my eyes. So much for the mascara I'd put on. The nurse led me to him and walked away saying I only had a few minutes, but I could see him again once he was back in his room.

"Babe, you came," he said smiling.

"How could I not?" I wanted to hold him, to kiss him, but I didn't want to touch anything that would hurt him, so I just stood there.

"Babe, come here. I need to touch you to know that you're real."

I tentatively walked closer to the bed and reached down to stroke the hand with the IV. At least I could see that there were no bruises there.

"Carlos. I missed you. I love you so much," and I started to cry again.

"Babe, come here. I need to feel your lips on mine to know you're not just my imagination. I can't come to you."

I leaned over and kissed Carlos and just stroked his stubble. My tears wetting his face and pillow.

"Don't cry Babe. I asked for you to come and you came."

"I'm here and I'm not leaving."

At that point the nurse was back. "I'm sorry, your time is up. I have to bring you back down to the waiting area. You can see him again once he's in his room. That should be in about a half an hour."

I kissed Carlos once one. It felt so good to have his lips on mine again. And then I followed the nurse back through the airlock and down the private elevator. My tears were non-stop now.

_**Ranger's POV**_

I had been sending out mental messages to Stephanie since the accident. I was pretty sure I'd be able to reach her. I wasn't sure how the mental energy I was sending her way would manifest, but I knew I'd be able to reach her. And here she was. I hoped I wasn't hallucinating. Everything was still a little fuzzy.

"Babe, you came."

"How could I not," she said. Dios I loved this woman.

And then the nurse was taking her away from me again. But she told me she wouldn't leave, so I had to believe her.

I struggled to keep myself awake, but in the end the drugs took their hold again. I don't know how long I was out, but when I woke up that same nurse was talking to me.

"Mr. Manoso. Carlos. I'm taking you up to your room. Your fiancé is waiting for you."

I knew I smiled at her, but the smile wasn't meant for her. It was for Stephanie.

I hate not being in full control, and being wheeled around on a gurney is about as demeaning as it can get. And it wasn't exactly a smooth ride. We bumped down the hall, we jerked to a stop at the elevator and I felt every movement in my thigh and injured body. Dios, it hurt like a bastard.

I was rolled around a corner and into a room and there she was, like an angel. She was sitting on a chair by the window. The sun was streaming in creating a halo around her curly head. My angel.

"Babe."

"Ms. Plum can you please step outside. I want to get Mr. Manoso into the bed and comfortable. You can see him in a minute."

"Stephanie stays. I have no secrets from her," I heard myself tell the nurse.

"I have to adjust your catheter and set you up to the IPC machine. I don't think you want your fiancé…"

"She stays," I growled letting her know I wasn't happy.

"It's ok, Carlos," Stephanie said, complying with the nurses request, "I'll just be right outside. I'm not going anywhere."

The nurse got me into bed, did what she had to do and left. Stephanie was back.

"Hi lover," she mewed at me, taking my hand and kissing my lips. She had a big grin on her face.

Lover my ass, but I appreciated the sentiment. "Babe."

"You're out. You and Tank are free. Devon's appeal worked. You're done, you don't have to go back," she told me.

This was the best news I'd heard since I knew I had survived the bomb. I wanted to ask her if she got my messages, but since I was still feeling the effects of the anesthesia I didn't want her to think I was hallucinating.

"That's great news. When did Devon find out?"

"A couple of hours ago. As soon as he knew we all got on a plane. I needed to see for myself that you were ok."

"Did you get my messages?" I heard myself ask anyway.

"If you mean did your ring disappear at 7am on Saturday and not reappear until Mary Alice found it around seven Sunday night, then yes."

I smiled at her. So that's how I did it. "Talk to me. Tell me how you felt."

She took my hand, brought her lips to it and started talking to me. Her voice sounding like a hymn to me. "I was missing you so, so much and I needed to feel some kind of connection to you. I took both of our rings out of the safe and put them on. I wore mine on my left hand and yours on my right thumb. I felt calmer, so I set the alarm so I could pick up Angie and Mary Alice to take them to our house for the weekend. And then I went to bed.

"When I woke up I noticed I still had my wedding ring on, but yours was gone. I panicked. I ripped the bed apart. I got down on my hands and knees and scoured every inch of floor space but it was nowhere. I finally called Ella. Her and Luis promised to walk the grid and find it, so I went to get the girls…"

"I hope you had protection," I interrupted her to make sure she was safe.

"I did. Hal and Vince. I'll tell you that story later ok?"

"Continue."

"I got a call from Ella around 2:30 on Saturday that they looked everywhere, but no ring. I knew it was her day off, so I thanked her and told her I would look again when I got home on Sunday. It bothered me all weekend. I hadn't been sleeping, but with this hanging over me head, I really couldn't sleep. Then it came to me; I'd have the girls help me look. They seemed to have eyesight like hawks.

"So when we got back to the apartment on Sunday evening, MA announced she was going to go through every shoe in the closet and that she'd find it. Angie was on hands and knees in the bathroom and Binkie, Erik, myself, Hal and Vince went over the bedroom one more time."

I was thinking to myself, so many? But I didn't want to interrupt her again.

"A few minutes later MA yells, 'I found it!' and comes out of the closet with your ring. It had bounced into one of my shoes. I actually didn't think anything of it other than relief, until Devon and Bobby told me this morning about your accident. Then when they told me the times of the bomb and of you finally waking up in the ICU I put two and two together."

I knew I'd be able to communicate with her, so I just smiled smugly.

"Can I ask you one thing, Babe?"

"Of course."

"Why did you need to have so much protection?"

Stephanie then brought me up to speed on all the events of the weekend. The Mercedes being shot, Mary Alice's bullet graze, Autumn's gunshot wound, her, Erik and Binky's escape in the Hummer, Caesar getting shot in the chest, and finally Pearce being taken down by Rangeman. No wonder my mental imaging had a harder time getting through than I would have expected.

There was a knock on the door; it was that damned nurse again, "I'm sorry, Miss Plum we're only allowing one visitor at a time and Mr. Manoso's lawyer is outside…"

"She's not leaving. I told you before; I have no secrets from Stephanie. She stays," I barked at her, hoping even though I was in a hospital bed and wrapped in bandages, my voice still carried its former weight.

"It's house policy. I'm sorry. One visitor at a time.

"It's ok Carlos," Stephanie said, "I'll be outside. Devon is important."

"NO," I yelled as loud as my limited breath would let me, "STEPHANIE STAYS."

The nurse was taken aback, "I'm sorry sir, but house rules are house rules. One guest at a time."

"Fuck house rules. If Stephanie can't stay neither will I."

That got her looking at me. I meant what I said.

"Ok, Mr. Manoso. I'll bend the rules for you. Your fiancé can stay. And with that she let Devon in and left in a huff.

The way she was treating Stephanie was unacceptable. As soon as Devon walked in the door, I let him have it.

"What is this fucking bullshit? Stephanie and I signed papers to give her every right a wife would have. If she were my wife she wouldn't be thrown out of the room every seven seconds. Can we get a copy of our legal agreement to this fucking hospital ASAP? I want this bullshit to stop now."

I wanted my wishes complied with. This was one of the reasons I insisted that Stephanie and I sign papers. I do _not_ want her treated like an outsider.

I was getting myself into a state that I knew wasn't conducive to healing. And goddamn my fucking body, which was now hurting like a son of a bitch. I knew I had to press the button on the goddamn pain pump if I didn't want to pass out, so against my own decretum, I took a deep breath and pressed it.

_**Stephanie's POV**_

I had never seen him like this. I knew he didn't like being weak or under anyone else's influence, but he was out of control. He was barking orders and cursing like a drunken sailor. Bingo. The words 'drunken sailor' made me realize what was going on. It was his response to the anesthesia.

For someone who is always in control, being anesthetized and placed in the hands of anyone, even if they were medical professionals, was not acceptable.

"Carlos, please. Try to relax. It's ok. And I'm not going anywhere until we leave here together."

"Actually, Stephanie, Ranger is right, the hospital has a copy of your legal agreement. They need to abide by it. I'll find out what's going on before I leave. Ranger, I don't know if Stephanie had a chance to tell you about Briggs." I shook my head no and he continued.

"Well Megan found someone to testify and we started court martial proceedings against him. Our initial filings have just been accepted, so I'm going to have to leave to go back to Trenton to get my arguments together. I just wanted to let you know I was here and what's going on. Stephanie can tell you the whole story. Good to see you've come through this pretty much ok. I'll be in touch."

They did that complicated thug hug handshake thing and Devon left.

"Tell me about Briggs Babe," Carlos said, although I could tell he was beginning to succumb to the drugs he took a few minutes ago.

"Why don't you get some sleep? I'll be right here and if I have to leave to…you know, pee or something I'll have either Cal or Ram sit with you. I'll tell you the Briggs story later. Ok?"

He barely was able to say ok, and then he was out. I guessed he only had so much fight in him right now.

I sat with him for a couple of hours, holding his hand, talking softly to him, letting him know about general things that had been going on at Rangeman. Just trying to be background noise so he'd know I was here. Finally he opened his eyes and smiled at me. He seemed much less agitated.

"Babe. I'm glad you're still here."

"How are you feeling? Are you hurting? Do you need to give yourself some more pain medicine?"

"I'm ok. I don't want to sleep anymore right now. Do you know if Tank is out of surgery?"

I didn't. "I'll go outside and try to find out." I let go of his hand to get up, but he held me tight. "No. Don't go. I'll call the nurse, she'll tell us."

Oh God, he wasn't going to let me up and I really had to pee. Carlos had his hand on the call button. A voice came from nowhere, "Can I help you Mr. Manoso?"

"Yes. Do you know if my partner Pierre Sherman is out of surgery?"

"He's not on the floor yet, but I'll check to see if he's in recovery. I'll come in as soon as I know something."

"Thank you."

Yep he was feeling better, he even got out a thank you.

"Carlos, I really have to pee, is it ok if I get up? Visitor's rest rooms are in the hall."

"Just use mine. Obviously I'm not using it," he said looking down at the bag perched on the side of his bed that was filling with urine. "And this way you're not out of my sight."

Oh God, this was going to be some day.

While I was peeing the nurse came into the room. I heard some exchange and then I heard Carlos laugh. Wondered what was so funny? I washed my hands and looked at myself in the mirror. God I looked awful. Hopefully I'd be able to sleep now that I knew Carlos was safe and didn't have to go back to his personal hell.

When I came out he had a big grin on his face.

"What was so funny?"

"Tank is giving them a harder time than I did. She told me I'm a pussycat compared to him. He's out of surgery. Lula's with him. They just prepped his room. He'll be next door."

"Good, it'll be easier for the guards if you two are next to each other. I'm just going to peek outside and see if Ram and Cal are here or if we still have the two rent-a-guards that were here earlier."

I stuck my head out. No Ram or Cal, but there were two different guards on duty now. One in front of Carlos' room and one in front of what I assumed was Tank's. Bobby wasn't taking any chances. I took out my phone and texted Ram.

STEPHPLUM: "Where R U?"

RAMSEY: "With Tank & Lula. Everything OK?"

STEPHPLUM: "Yes, just checking."

RAMSEY: "K. Txt me if you need me."

"We have new guards. Looks like Tank's going to be in the room to your right. Ram and Cal are still with Lula and Tank," I announced to Carlos coming back into his room and walking to the window to see how far up we were and what I could see from this vantage point.

"Babe, sit down and tell me about Briggs."

I sat down and Carlos took my hand, fiddling with my engagement ring as I talked to him. I told him everything Devon told me. I told him about Megan finding Captain Azzopardi and Devon's hope that his testimony wouldn't be thrown out as hearsay since everyone else associated with the case was dead. I saw him wince when I told him about Briggs repeatedly raping James with a club and forcing Garvey to watch. He closed his eyes after that and I could tell he was thinking.

"I wish I could figure out why he wants to kill me. I can see a reason for him getting rid of Garvey and James and even O'Malley, but as far as I can tell, I don't have any dirt on him. All he did was call me a traitor. Although that's bad enough in itself since we were both doing our job, it's hardly something to want to kill someone over."

"You think he had Garvey and James killed? You don't believe they died in combat?"

"Oh they may have died in combat but he sent them into a lose/lose situation. That's murder in my book. I'm not sure about O'Malley, but I bet Briggs had his hand in that too. He's not a nice man."


	7. Chapter 7 — Men will be men

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for reading this through first and deeming it good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :)**

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 7 — Men will be men**

"Knock, knock," a voice said, knocking on Carlos' door. I didn't recognize the voice but obviously Carlos did, as a small smile crept over his lips.

"Come in."

"Manoso, how are you?"

"Major McHugh. You remember Stephanie, my fiancé?"

"I do." McHugh nodded to me and smiled. He turned back to Carlos. "I heard what happened from Patterson, and I wanted to visit you in person. You have more lives than a cat, Manoso."

"Did Devon also tell you about Briggs?"

"He did. And unfortunately I'm going to have to bring Azzopardi into protective custody. Once that Article 32 is in the works, Briggs will know all about it and I don't trust him."

"Major, please sit down," Carlos said pointing to the other chair.

There was some good-natured banter going on between the two of them. I could see they had a friendship of sorts. And I could see that Carlos was in pain again. Wasn't sure if it was pain from the surgery or the pain of remembrance about some of the things they were talking about. I assumed it was surgical pain and I was about to suggest Carlos hit his pain pump when McHugh looked at his watch and stood.

"I have to go. The Mrs. is waiting for me. We have dinner reservations tonight. I'll stop by to see you and Sherman tomorrow. Have a good evening. Take good care of our soldier," he said, nodding to me as he left.

"Carlos, you look like you're in a lot of pain. Maybe you should hit your pump again?"

"It knocked me out last time. I don't want to be knocked out."

"I don't think you'll fall asleep, that was from the combination of the anesthesia and the drugs. I think you'll be ok. I don't like seeing you in pain. Please?"

I could tell he was going to argue, but I could also tell he was in a lot of discomfort. I saw him hit his pump and I smiled at him. Sometimes he could be so stubborn.

After a few minutes Carlos seemed to breathe easier. He looked like he wasn't in nearly as much pain anymore. Then he spoke to me.

"Babe, I thought about you every night," he started, "I held my cock in my hand and I stroked it. I just kept seeing your face after I'd made you come and I just kept stroking myself. The picture of pleasure on your face got me through the next day. All I had were my mind and my own two hands to bring you closer to me, and I used them."

Wow, what a confession. Wondered if I should confess about the shower massager? But I didn't want him to think I was trying to one-up him.

"I thought about you every day too Carlos. God there was never a minute I wasn't worried sick about you. I'm so glad you're out of there and we'll be back home together soon."

"Babe, I'm really going to need to heal. The metal cut through a lot of muscle, nerves and soft tissue. I was told there'd be a lot of physical therapy in front of me. God I hate feeling weak."

"You're not weak. You're one of the strongest men I know. And if they say a month of physical therapy, I know you and you'll have that cut down to a few weeks."

"Babe, I'm trying to tell you that I may not be able to get an erection for a while. The impalement cut nerves that lead to my groin. They micro-surgically repaired what they could and the rest will just have to heal on it's own, but it's going to take time."

"The doctors told you this?"

"I knew this going into the surgery, yes. I guess we'll know in time what will work and what won't. The doctor said not to be alarmed if I suffered from temporary impotence."

"That's not important Carlos. You're here, you're alive and you'll heal. I love you no matter what. We'll get through whatever we have to get through together. I love _you_."

"I love you too Babe. Come here. I need to kiss you."

I got up from my chair that couldn't get any closer to his hospital bed, leaned over him and kissed his lips. What I didn't expect was Carlos to pull me to him with his IV arm and give me some tongue. Then I felt him wince.

"Carlos what's the matter, did I hurt you?"

"No Babe, but I don't think impotence is going to be a problem and that damn catheter hurts like hell."

I couldn't help but smile. I guess what they say is true, 'it's hard to keep a good man down.' And just at that moment one of the nurses decided to make an unexpected appearance. All smiley, chirpy and happy.

"Mr. Manoso, I'm here to take your blood pressure. And I noticed that the dinner cart is right behind me. Hope you have an appetite, looks like they have baked chicken and mashed potatoes tonight. Once I get your blood pressure and temperature, I'll help you sit up."

Carlos growled. I'm not sure if he was growling because he was still uncomfortable or because she was offering to help him. I suspected it was the latter.

I got up to move out of the way so nurse smiley could get her blood pressure machine closer to the bed.

"Stay," I heard and felt his hand pull me back to him.

"Carlos, I'm not going anywhere. I just want to let the nurse get in so she can take your blood pressure. I'm right here." Boy was he possessive today.

"Then come around to my other side. I need you here with me."

Then he turned and spoke to the nurse. "My lawyer says the hospital has copies of our contractual agreement. I'd like my fiancé to stay here with me tonight. Can we get a cot put in the room for her?"

"I'm sorry, that's not hospital policy. There are rooms available to rent for the night in Fischer Hall."

"I don't think you understand who I am or why I'm here. The unit I was with was almost assassinated by a planted bomb. Actually one of the men was. Stephanie and I are both targets. Guards have been allowed outside so I see no reason why my fiancé can't stay in here with me tonight. And we have signed contractual agreements that give Stephanie all the rights of my wife. I want her to stay."

"I'll send the head nurse in to see you. I don't have the power to change the rules. Now I need to take your blood pressure and then I'll help you sit up so that it'll be easier for you to eat. Is there anything else I can get for you?"

"Is there an extra tray for Stephanie? I don't want her going to the cafeteria by herself. Someone is trying to kill us and I don't want to make things any easier for them."

"I'll see what I can do. There are usually extras. I'll just need a minute to look into it."

I knew Carlos was used to getting his way, but boy was he being a hard ass. I could certainly walk to the cafeteria. All I'd have to do was text Cal or Ram and they'd be here to go with me.

The nurse finally got Carlos to give her his arm and before she left, the two of us got him into an almost seated position so that he could have his dinner. I saw him wince as we moved him. I guessed even the drugs weren't enough to totally take away his pain.

Between his left arm, which was pretty bandaged and his right with the IV, I noticed it was hard for Carlos to cut up his food and eat it. If he wasn't going to allow a nurse to help him up, he certainly wasn't going to allow me. But I had to try.

"Carlos, can I help you? You don't seem to have an extra hand to hold the plate steady while you cut. Why don't you let me do it for you."

"No," he barked, "I'm perfectly fine." And as he said that, the entire chicken breast slipped from under the plastic knife and flew across the room. So much for his 'control.'

I picked up the chicken, ran it under the hot water from the sink and patted it dry with paper towels. I wasn't sure if he would take it back after it hit the floor, but he needed to eat something to keep up his strength so he could heal.

"Carlos, please let me help you."

Before he had a chance to answer, the nurse was back in the room with a tray of identical baked chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans for me. I looked over at him and started cutting the chicken that was on my tray. We seemed to be locking eyes while I cut. Actually he seemed to be glaring. When I was finished cutting, I swapped out my tray for his. Too fucking bad. He needed to eat.

He didn't say a word, but he kept watching me while I cut up the chicken that was once his and took a piece into my mouth. I looked up at him; he still had not touched his plate.

"Good," I said, and I took another bite.

He finally looked down at his food and resigned himself to eating. I guess he'd made peace with the fact that I cut his chicken for him.

Cooped up Carlos was a pain in the ass.

Once we finished eating I moved both trays onto the overbed table and wheeled it off of Carlos. He didn't look very comfortable in his half-seated position, so I was going to try to help him slip down so that he was laying flat.

"Carlos, I'm going to try to help you lie down. I think this position is putting too much pressure on your wounds. If you just wiggle down I think I can hold you so it doesn't hurt."

Getting him up took two of us; I hoped getting him down wasn't going to require the same. After the ill-mannered way he spoke to the nurse, I wasn't going to ask her for help again, and I was pretty sure she wouldn't volunteer.

The wiggling didn't work and just him moving on his leg and shrapnel-riveted back was causing him too much pain. I was ready to go out and get some help anyway when nurse smiley returned with the head nurse. I guessed they were here to talk to Carlos about his requests.

Thankfully they saw the problem I was having and took over the job.

He started barking at them again and the head nurse caught me rolling my eyes at him and smiled at me. I hoped she realized he wasn't always like this. Well actually it didn't matter. I hoped they would be able to comply with his wishes and he'd probably stop barking on his own.

"Mr. Manoso," head nurse began, "I understand you'd like your fiancé to stay in your room tonight?"

Carlos nodded, ready to bark at her again.

"It's not the usual hospital policy, but I looked at the pile of paperwork that accompanied you here and I must say that I am impressed. I also saw the contractual agreement between you and Ms. Plum. That said…I'm willing to bend the rules for both you and Mr. Sherman next door who is asking for similar leniency.

"But, I also see here that you are asking to be discharged as soon as your vital signs have returned to normal. This is something I _cannot_ agree to. You've had some serious injuries and whether you are aware of it or not, some very elaborate surgical procedures performed. My professional opinion is that you remain here until you can at least get out of bed on your own and make it over to that bathroom. Once you prove to me that you can do that, I'll let you leave."

Oh no. She doesn't know who she's talking to. She just challenged him.

"Thank you Ms. Roberts," Carlos said, looking at the nameplate on her chest. "I appreciate all you are doing for us." And then he grinned broadly, "As far as getting to that bathroom on my own, is now too soon?"

"Mr. Manoso! You are scheduled for some PT tomorrow afternoon; let's see how you do with that before you even attempt it. Please."

Ah she used the magic word. Hope it works on Carlos like it does on me.

"Please Carlos," I added, "you need to let your body heal before you stress it. I know you can do it, but is it a good idea?"

"Just so you know, I've walked much farther than to that bathroom with worse injuries than I have now. But because I really do want to heal this time, I'll let fate dictate my departure."

"Thank you. We'll get those cots brought up to your rooms. Mr. Sherman is on his way up now. You are two of the most difficult men I've had to deal with in a long time," she grinned as she left.

Nurse smiley was still in the room, probably to make sure Carlos didn't throw off his covers and attempt to make it to the bathroom on his own. "I just wanted you to know," she said, "this is the first time I ever saw her bend the rules for anyone. She was very impressed with whatever is in your charts. Is there anything else I can get you before I leave? My shift is just about over."

"No, we're good," I said, "thank you for everything you've done."

"Yes, thank you," Carlos mumbled.

I heard Tank being brought into the room next door. Actually you can't miss Tank. His voice booms even when he's trying to speak softly. He just has natural projection. I could see what Nurse Roberts meant; he wasn't exactly being an easy patient.

"I don't know why you're putting me in a room, I'm not planning on staying. Lula and I will be on a plane back to Trenton in the morning. I could have stayed in the ER overnight."

"Please Mr. Sherman, you just had skin grafted to a large portion of your back. If you don't follow orders, your body could reject the graft, even if it's your own skin. You need to be on anti-rejection drugs for the next few days. And your donor site could very easily get infected if you don't stay on antibiotics. Both are better administered by IV," I overheard a nurse trying to persuade Tank.

"Tank, baby, please listen to the doctors and nurses. There's no rush to get out, I'll be here with you," I heard Lula add to the nurses argument.

Oh boy, and I thought Carlos was difficult.

I guessed they got him to cooperate somehow, as all the bellowing stopped and I heard the dinner cart bringing food to their room. I wanted to stick my head in and see how he was doing, but I didn't want to get yelled at. I took out my phone and texted Lula.

STEPHPLUM: "How is Tank doing?"

LULA: "Grumpy, but ok."

STEPHPLUM: "Can I say hello or will he yell?"

LULA: "Say hello. If he yells, yell back."

STEPHPLUM: "Ok, b right over."

"Carlos, I'm going to go next door for a minute to say hello to Tank."

"Are the guards still in the hall?"

"I'm sure they are, those were Bobby's orders…24/7."

"If you don't see a guard in front of both doors, don't go into the hall."

"Why are you being like this?"

"Someone is trying to kill me, and I'm sure they'd have no problem killing you to get to me. Please Babe, just be extra cautious."

So that's what was going on. I walked to the door and looked out. The guard in front of our door became alert at my movement. I saw the second guard in front of Tank's door look up and over at me too.

"Carlos, both guards are in place, I'll be right back," I said and stepped out.

I tried the McHugh approach at Tank's door and said "knock, knock" before entering. Tank looked up at me and smiled. "Little girl, come in."

"Hey Tank," I went over and kissed him and Lula hello. "How are you doing?"

"I'm ok. I promised Lula I'd behave myself. If she weren't here I'd have checked myself out by now. I hate these places."

"Carlos is right next door. The nursing staff already thinks he's a pain in the ass, so I'm sure you'll both be out of here as soon as possible. I just wanted to say hi. I seem to be under some kind of house arrest; Carlos didn't want me to leave his room. By the way, where are Cal and Ram?"

"They went to the cafeteria to get something to eat, then they were going to check in to some rooms that are available in Fischer Hall. They're going to take over for the rent-a-guards when their shift ends, so I bet they try to get a few hours of sleep," Lula informed me.

'Well, I just wanted to say hi. I'm going to go back into Carlos' room before he does something stupid like get himself out of bed to come and look for me. If you need me for anything, I'm right next door."

What a pair. And they think _I'm_ difficult.

I went back to Carlos' room. A new nurse was in with him changing the bandages on his shrapnel wounds, so I took a look. Now I'm not queasy when it comes to blood, but these looked really bad. I could see a few were quite deep and jagged. And there were a lot of them. He'd be lucky if he didn't scar. Poor Carlos. I just wanted to hold him and kiss his boo boos and make everything better.

I guessed I let out some kind of sound because the nurse looked up at me. "Yeah, these are pretty ugly, but I'm using this miracle salve from France that heals in half the time and seems to prevent scarring and the formation of keloids. I've seen it work wonders on shrapnel wounds before. I'm just hoping we haven't started to apply it too late in the process. It works best when it's used immediately."

Good to know he was getting state-of-the-art treatment.

"And if it's too late, will these form those big thick scars?" I asked hating the idea of anything marring his beautiful body.

"Only time will tell. If it's going to work, it works fast. I've seen wounds close up in as little as four days. We'll just apply this a couple of times a day and see what happens. I saw you go into Mr. Sherman's room as I was coming in here. I have to go in there next. Is he still yelling?"

I guessed Tank had already gained a reputation.

"He's really a pussycat. And he promised his fiancé he'd behave. I don't think you'll have a problem with him."

It was only seven o'clock, but I was really tired and my cot hadn't been brought in yet. If Carlos wasn't post-op and suffering from open wounds all over his back, legs and arms, I'd curl up next to him. I'd have to get inventive.

I saw an extra pillow and some blankets in the closet. I took them down. I brought the two chairs face to face, got into the larger one and put my feet up on the second. I squished the pillow between the chair back and the arm and wrapped the blankets over me. I guessed I could take a nap in this position.

"Babe, what are you doing?"

"I need to close my eyes for about a half an hour. My going, going, going is just about gone."

"Why don't you join me in here? I'm sure this bed is big enough."

"I don't want to hurt you. What if I fell asleep and moved onto you by accident? I would hate to cause you any more pain."

"Babe. Come here. This way I get to snuggle into you too."

I got up and went over to his bed. I put the railing down and sat on the edge. Somehow I managed to get my feet up and my head down in the less than crib-sized space that remained. There was no way I could sleep in such a cramped position but at least I'd be close to Carlos.

He somehow moved me under his IV arm and got his lips to my neck. I was pretty sure this wasn't a good idea, but it felt so good to be next to him that I just stayed. What woke me, I don't know how much later, was the sound of fire alarms going off.

Oh no, don't tell me we were having a fire drill?

Ram came into our room. "This isn't a drill, there's a fire in the north wing and we need to evacuate. The nurse told me they practice this all the time. She told me I just have to move your bed to the safe area behind the fire doors. Ready for a ride?"

He undid the brake and pulled Carlos' hospital bed, with the both of us still in it, away from the wall and maneuvered it and the IV stand out the door and into the hall. I looked over to see Cal moving Tank's out of his room with Lula following behind. We really were evacuating.

"Ram," I said, "the nurse is going to have a shit fit if she sees me in Carlos' bed. Please stop and let me get out."

"Just stay where you are Bomber, pull the covers over your head and no one will know you're there. Once we're safely behind the fire doors, I'll help you get out."

I did as he suggested and suddenly my time spent in Stiva's coffin came back to me. I felt like I was going to suffocate. I had started to hyperventilate and there was no way to stop it. I had to get out of there immediately.

I remembered the PICK-JAM-JUMP we were taught in class to get out of a moving vehicle in an emergency. I jumped off the bed with my arms wrapped around me and my head tucked. Once I hit the ground I rolled myself to the corner for safety. I was probably going to have a few bumps and bruises, but at least I was out of there.


	8. Chapter 8 — The Man in the Hall

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for reading this through first and deeming it good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :)**

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 8 — The man in the hall**

From my now-crouched position against the wall, I saw the fire doors open and a pair of thick-soled, black boots walk into the hallway where we were holed up. The boots were coming directly towards me. Ram was not letting Carlos out of his sight, but I saw him reach for his gun in case 'boots' turned out to be a threat.

Boots crouched down to my level. "Are you ok? I saw you leap and roll from that bed, are you all right?"

"Who are you?" I asked, answering a question with a question.

"I'm Jared Furguson. I believe you're Stephanie Plum? Let me help you up. We need to get behind the fire doors. Can you stand?"

"Who are you?" I asked again, not liking that he knew who I was but not the other way around.

"I work with Devon Patterson. I was coming to see Ranger and Tank when the alarms sounded. Now can you stand, or do I need to carry you?"

I got up on my own and realized my right shoulder and hip hurt. A lot. I winced as Jared Furguson tried to lead me behind the fire doors that were just three feet away. Ram and Cal already had Tank and Carlos safely behind them, and they were being held open for me.

I couldn't believe Ram or Cal hadn't come to my rescue. They were guarding their charges like they were buried treasure and robbers were fast approaching. I looked up at Ram and saw him smiling. I tuned my head towards Carlos and he too seemed to be enjoying the show. Glad I kept them amused.

"Babe, I see you've met Jared," Carlos said, barely containing his laughter.

"You know him?" I asked, gesturing to the guy who tried to pick me up off the floor.

"Babe, this is Jared Furguson, he's Devon's partner. He's the Furguson of Patterson, Furguson. I guess you've just never met before."

"Jared, this is my fiancé, Stephanie Plum. And this is Lula, Tank's fiancé," Carlos introduced us as Lula came over to see what was going on.

No wonder Ram seemed to know him too. Guessed Ram had been up to the firm to see Megan.

We were yelling at one another so we could be heard over the fire alarm that was still shouting out its commands. It stopped suddenly, but we were still yelling.

A voice came over the intercom, "This is your fire safety inspector. The fire on 9 North has been contained. Please stay in your appointed area until I come back on and give you the ok to head back to your rooms. Thank you. Repeat," and he said it again.

Ram caught a glimpse of something through one of the portholes on the fire door. "Someone just went into Ranger's room. Cover me Cal, I'm going out there to check it out."

Cal nodded and was on his phone ordering some kind of back up support. Ram barely opened the fire door and snuck through. I watched him approach Carlos' room with his gun drawn. He disappeared in. I didn't hear any shots or sounds of a scuffle. The suspense was killing me.

A few minutes later a man in army fatigues was being jostled out of Carlos' room in cuffs, followed by Ram with his gun. I could see him asking army fatigues some questions. I couldn't hear what he was saying but it looked like fatigues wasn't answering him.

The rent-a-guards that had been on duty when Carlos came out of surgery had somehow gained access to the corridor where Ram was from the other side. The three of them surrounded 'fatigues.' Ram gave them some sort of instructions and they took 'fatigues' from him and led him out of the corridor the way they came in. Ram was walking back towards us when that damn intercom started in again.

"This is your fire safety inspector. This is the all clear. You can safely return to your rooms now. Repeat. You can safely return to your rooms now. Thank you."

With the all clear in play I opened the door since I was standing right there. I ran out to Ram. "What happened? What did he say?"

"He's not talking. Stefan and Angelo, the contract guards, are going to have a few words with him before they take him in. We need to sweep both rooms. Not sure if he was able to plant anything before I caught up with him. I'm pretty sure he was under orders from someone. I suspect Briggs. Can you stay out here with Cal while I sweep the rooms? Cal, can I have the spectrum analyzer?"

Cal handed Ram something that looked like an over-sized iPhone, and Ram turned it on and went back towards Carlos' room.

Ms. Roberts, the head nurse, was at our side with questions. Carlos gave her the Cliff Notes version and she seemed satisfied enough to let us hang out in the hall while Ram did his thing. He came out of Carlos' room with something between his thumb and index finger that he held up for us. He then went into Tank's room.

He came out of Tank's door about five minutes later. He had a few small devices with him. He walked over to us before he spoke. "He had Ranger's iPhone in his hand when I walked in. He was either trying to take some information from it, or he was setting it up to use for eavesdropping. This scanner can't detect if he did anything, but Hector can tap into both of your phones remotely and pull up recent activity. I got one bug out of Ranger's room and three from Tank's. I permanently disabled all of them."

Cal was already on his phone to Hector.

With the help of the nurse who changed Carlos' bandages we got both guys back into their rooms and reattached to everything. This time it was Ram on the phone with Hector, so I walked over to ease-drop.

"So he didn't get any information from Ranger's phone, did he get anything from Tank's?"

Ram saw me and put his phone on speaker so I could hear what Hector had to say.

"Sí, he pull up Tank's contact list. I not sure how he got through because it's all password protected, but he did. He must have a jamming device on him. Don't think he had time to copy anything, he was only on the phone for five seconds, but you need to destroy any devices he has on him. I tink he must have top army clearance to have gotten into the building during a fire, so I ask Hal to pull up all men with that clearance and we will try to find a match. Stefan sent us his picture."

"What if he was in the building before the fire? What if he _set_ the fire?" I asked. "He wouldn't necessarily need top clearance to get in if there was no alert, right? He could be anyone."

"Sí, he could be anyone. We start with top clearance. Let's hope we find him and see if he attached to Briggs. I call you back when I know anyting."

"Ok Hector, thanks," I added before Ram disconnected. Someone needed to show some manners.

It was 9:30 when the cots arrived. Our both rooms were filled with Rangeman personnel and contract agents. I didn't think I'd get to sleep anytime soon.

I was falling asleep on my feet around 10:30 when his nurse with the French salve came in again to change his bandages. She shooed everyone out of the room but me with a hard look on her face. After all visiting hours ended at nine.

"I think we caught it in time, your wounds seem to be responding. This small one is beginning to close up. That's a good sign. Your doctor said if we saw improvement we could up the medication to three times a day. I'm recommending that for tomorrow. It's on the charts but please point it out. This salve is not usually prescribed for more than twice a day, so just let the nurse on the next shift know it was approved." She paused, "I think you're going to heal just fine, Mr. Manoso."

Well that was good news. At least he wouldn't have scars all over his body from the shrapnel wounds. Now hopefully his leg would start to mend. As soon as she left I took to the cot. No one was in the room but Carlos and myself and I needed some sleep.

"Babe, what are you doing?"

"I really need to get some sleep Carlos, this has been a long and exhausting day. If more of your men need to come in, just have them step over me. I'm done."

"No one else is coming in tonight, but come here Babe. I want to sleep with you. Dios, I just need to feel you next to me."

"Carlos I don't think that's a good idea. What if the nurse comes in to take your blood pressure or something?"

"What are they going to do, throw me out?"

"No…me."

"Not going to happen. Come here Babe."

Against my better judgment I went over to Carlos' bed. I lifted the cover and I snuggled in next to him. It felt so good to smell his unique smell. To feel his chest rise and fall in time to his breathing. To just touch him. I was utterly, madly in love with this man.

_**Rangers POV**_

I'd never let anyone see me in a weakened state before. And here I was in a fucking hospital bed with my men wheeling me around like I'm a baby in a pram. How goddamn disparaging was that?

From the moment I met Stephanie I wanted her in my bed. But this certainly was not one of the scenarios that took place in my mind. Stephanie and I in a _hospital_ bed together…with _me_ being the broken one.

There was no way I was getting any sleep, so I decided to go over the events of the evening and see if anything made sense. The fire was obvious. Someone started it as a deterrent so they could get into Tank and my rooms.

Well, I was glad my men had been well trained. Ram seeing the interloper through the corner of his eye was key. We now had someone in custody. I hoped we could tie him either to Briggs or to someone else and get to the bottom of this. I didn't like that Stephanie had been exposed to these madmen, but there was nothing I could do about it at the moment. Maybe instead of going back to Trenton we needed to go somewhere else where I could heal. Two places came to mind—our house in Belmar and the safe house in Santorini, Greece. I'd need to think about this some more, but right now my phone was buzzing again and it was on the table on the other side of the room.

Not sure if the sewn back together muscles in my left leg would support my weight if I tried to get up. It had never been important to me before. I'd just power through whatever needed to be done, but this time I wanted to heal. So instead of pulling the covers back and jumping up to answer the phone, I let it go to voicemail for the second time. A nurse or an aide would probably be in at some point and she could hand it to me to play back.

Then I heard the distinct sound my phone makes when I have a text, someone was obviously trying to get in touch with me. All of Rangeman knew I was serving time and I'm sure a good many of them knew about the accident by now. That ruled out Rangeman. My family was a different story. I had been distant from them for more than six weeks at a time before, so although Stephanie thought it would be a good idea for me to tell them I was going to be incarcerated, I never got around to it. It was probably one of my sisters.

I decided to buzz the nurses' station and see if someone could bring me my phone. The nurse who had been attending my wounds came in. She seemed like a nice person so I hoped the sight of Stephanie sleeping by my side would be ok. It had to be, I wasn't moving her.

We made eye contact and I put my fingers to my lips so she would understand I didn't want her to wake Steph.

I whispered, "My phone has been buzzing. I'm pretty sure I have calls and texts, could you possibly get it for me? I didn't want to risk getting up."

"I'm glad you didn't." She looked at me cautiously and then she brought my phone over to me.

She glanced down at Steph again as though she were going to say something, but then thought better of it.

"If you need me, I'm outside. Maybe you should use your pain pump once more so that you can sleep?" she suggested.

"Maybe later." I knew I wasn't going to, but I didn't want to argue.

I looked at my display and saw the text was from my sister Daria. She's a bit of a busybody, so she probably called both Tank and Lester when she couldn't get a hold of me.

DARIA: "Call me."

Cryptic. I checked my two voice-mail messages. They were both from Daria, so I hit play to listen to the first.

"Carlos, it's Daria. Call me." Just as cryptic as the text. I listened to the second.

"Carlos, I can't seem to get in touch with you. I called your landlines both in Trenton and in Belmar. Call me."

It was eleven o'clock at night. She wouldn't be calling me unless it was important. Steph was sound asleep, so I took the chance and called Daria's cell. She answered on the second ring.

"Carlos, where are you?"

"I'm in Walter Reed Medical Center getting patched up. What's up?"

"Are you ok?"

"I'm ok, Tank and Stephanie are with me. What's up?" I asked again.

"Abuela suffered a minor heart attack, she's in the hospital. We've been trying to reach you for hours."

"Is she ok?"

"She's been stabilized, but they are putting a stent in tomorrow. In case anything happens, I wanted you to know. Mama's been trying to reach you too."

"Well obviously I won't be able to get there. Stents are pretty commonplace so she should be in good hands. Let me know the outcome. And send her my love. Are you with Mama?" I expected she was.

"Yes, let me put her on."

"Mama, I'm sorry I can't get there tomorrow. I told Daria what's going on with…" "No, I'm not on a mission. I was serving time for that non-crime and we were targeted." "Stephanie is here with me." "No she's sleeping," Stephanie stirred at that point.

"Carlos?"

'My mom, Babe, go back to sleep."

"K.

"Carlos, did I hear Stephanie?"

"Yes mama, but she's sleeping. I don't want to wake her up. I'll tell her about Abuela in the morning. Call me if you need me."

We disconnected.

Dios, another thing I didn't need, my grandmother suffering a heart attack.

I put my phone down next to me, and it buzzed again with another call. Don't tell me all my siblings would be calling to tell me the news? I looked at the display and it was Tank.

"Yo."

"I heard you talking on the phone. Is everything ok?"

"You heard me? I was whispering?"

"It's quiet here."

"My sister called. My grandmother had a small heart attack. They stabilized her and she's having a stent put in tomorrow. Daria wanted me to know. I guess she was at my parent's house because she put my mother on. I think everyone will be fine; they just needed to be reassured that angioplasties are pretty commonplace and the outcome is usually quite successful. What are you still doing up?"

"I can't sleep in this goddamn place. Lula's out like a light so I've been doing some thinking. I think we need to talk to Jason Wright. You remember the guy that was with us from Washington State? The one who didn't get killed by the blast?"

"Yes of course. Jason was with us in the hospital in Georgia."

"Well if you remember correctly he was the last one in the garage the Friday night before the explosion. He was putting the cones away. I'm sure he didn't set the bomb, but maybe he saw something. I think we need to talk to him, or at least have Devon talk to him."

"I wonder where he is. He had some pretty bad burns. That hospital was for shit. We should at least get him here, this way we can talk to him too."

"That's why I called. I want to call Bobby and get him airlifted here if he's still in Georgia. Maybe they can give him the miracle salve they've been putting on me. The nurse says the shrapnel wounds are starting to heal."

"Mine too. Are you going to call Bobby now?"

"Might as well, I have nothing else to do."

"Ok, let me know."

Interesting angle. Maybe he did see something. We never had a chance to talk. As soon as we woke up in the ICU we asked for Devon and were airlifted out of there.

Stephanie was stirring next to me. "Carlos? Who are you talking to?"

"Tank called me. Go back to sleep Babe, I'm sorry we woke you."

Steph falls asleep easily and usually stays asleep, so I hoped she'd just fall right back. She didn't need to know what we were talking about until the morning. I kissed her temple so she would know I was close and lifted her up so her head was on my shoulder. We both sleep better when we make contact with one another.


	9. Chapter 9 — Taking Things for Granted

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for reading this through first and deeming it good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :)**

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 9 — Taking Things for Granted**

When I woke up I was all Charley-horsed and my hip and shoulder hurt like hell. Carlos was still beside me, his eyes closed, his lips on my forehead. I remembered my stupid attempt to get out of the hospital bed as Ram was driving it down the hall, so that accounted for my sore hip and shoulder. And obviously sleeping on my side all night, in a space only large enough for a child, was the reason for my Charley-horsed body.

I distinctly remembered Carlos talking on the phone twice last night. Wondered what was so important. I moved around to look at him. It was rare that I got to watch him sleep and my movement woke him.

"Hmmm, Babe, come here." He tried to wrap both of his arms around me and I saw him wince. He was still in quite a lot of pain. But it did feel good being pulled to his chest. God I wanted this over with and us back home together in some semblance of normalcy.

I ran my hands over his pecs and snuggled into him, breathing in his smell.

"Were you talking on the phone last night?"

"My sister called. My grandmother had a minor heart attack and is scheduled to have an angioplasty today. She just wanted to let me know."

"Will she be ok?"

"Daria said she was stabilized and if they put a stent in, she should be fine. I'll call Daria this afternoon."

"I heard you talking twice?"

"Tank called. We were discussing the bomb. He wants Bobby to bring Jason Wright here for treatment so we can talk to him. Jason was one of the guys who was with us in Georgia."

"The survivor. I remember. So is he coming?"

"I don't know. I guess we should know this morning. Babe, I want to try to get up."

"Carlos, you promised you'd wait until after PT. Please don't do anything stupid."

"I just want to sit up. I wasn't going to walk around."

Antsy was getting antsier. And if _he_ was I could only imagine how Tank was doing. The next few days were certainly going to be challenging.

I got out of the bed so Carlos could try to sit up on his own. He's very strong, so even if he had to use his arm strength alone to lift himself up, I was sure he could do that. I could see him wincing as he moved, but he got himself into a seated position quite easily. Then he surprised me by draping his legs over the side of the bed.

I gave him a look that said, 'don't you dare,' and he stopped.

"I wasn't going to get up and walk Babe, I just wanted to see if I could get myself into a more comfortable seated position. My ass is numb from lying in bed for so many days. And these tubes are coming out today too. Do you know how emasculating this is?" he asked taking the catheter tube in his hand.

Oh boy.

"Carlos, I'm going to stick my head in the hall. I want to see if Ram and Cal are still here." And I wanted to find his nurse so maybe we could move the PT up. He wasn't going to be happy sitting for long and I didn't want him taking some steps on his own.

"Ram is right outside, I'm just going to take a little walk. I won't leave his sight." He didn't have a chance to say no, I bolted. I saw a couple of nurses at the nurses' station and went over to see if we could move his physical therapy to this morning. There was no way he'd wait until this afternoon.

"Yes, can I help you?" one of the nurses asked, looking up from her charts.

I explained who I was and what I wanted. I told them that Carlos had already gotten himself into a seated position on the side of the bed and was ready to take some steps on his own. I also asked if he could get his catheter removed before he deflated it and took it out himself.

They looked at me like I was crazy. A patient wouldn't do that, would they? Yeah, well this one would.

The nurse followed me back to the room, wheeling her blood pressure machine along in front of her. Great prop.

"Mr. Manoso, I'm here to take your blood pressure and temperature."

"My blood pressure is at the boiling point. These tubes are coming out."

"Yes, Mr. Manoso. As soon as I see that you can walk to the bathroom, I will remove your catheter. I thought we could move your physical therapy appointment up to say eight thirty. How do you feel about that?"

"You can move it up to now. The sooner I can get up and around, the better. But if it has to be eight thirty, then that's fine."

Oh boy again. He was in rare form today.

"Good. The breakfast cart is in the hall, let me just take your vital signs and we can get you some food."

"Stephanie too?"

"Yes, we asked for an extra trays for Ms. Plum and for Mr. Sherman's fiancé."

He just nodded and let her put the cuff on his arm. I could see this turning into a long, hard day.

Once his nurse wrote something on his chart she turned to leave, but not before winking at me. I guessed she had his number. Carlos had his phone in his hand when I turned back to look at him and he was calling someone. I was trying to stay out of his way as much as possible until he got what he wanted.

"Devon, It's Ranger. Were you or Bobby successful in getting Jason Wright brought up here for treatment?" "Yes I spoke with Tank late last night, I knew he was going to call Bobby." "He'll be admitted this morning?" "Great."

Carlos turned back to me, "Well that's taken care of, Jason is on his way. I hope Bobby pulled some strings and he's in a room nearby. Not that it matters, I'll be up and walking around shortly."

Oh God. Super-alpha male takes center stage. I guessed it was all that pent up testosterone from the incarceration. He was acting like I'd never seen him before.

"Carlos, you promised me," I tried, thinking he'd calm down if he thought about the pledge he'd given me.

And just at that moment the breakfast cart was wheeled outside of our room and the orderly pulled out two trays for us. Was it going to be food for fuel or feeding the fire? I wished I could get him to back off.

With his left arm still heavily bandaged and his right wearing the IV, it was still hard for Carlos to use the plastic utensils and hold his plate at the same time. Thankfully this was just scrambled eggs, because I was _not _going to go through what I went through with him last night.

After breakfast a physical therapist came into the room with a walker. I saw Carlos eyeing the walker like it was shackles and chains. I hoped the therapist was used to men like him.

"I'm not using that," he said

Oh God, here we go again.

"I'm Paul. I'll be your physical therapist. Nice to meet you Mr. Manoso," Paul said extending his hand towards Carlos.

"I've been rehabilitated more times than I care to think about and I've never used one of those. I'm not starting now."

"I need to get you up so we can see just how much strength you have in your left leg. I don't want to overtax it and I need you to apply equal pressure to both legs to stand. A walker is the best way to do this. We won't go out into the hall; this is just for use in this room today.

"No."

Oh God, shoot me now. On top of everything else he was being stubborn.

"Ok then. I'll be right back, I'll bring two canes."

"No."

"And how do you plan to get up Mr. Manoso?"

"By putting my hands on either side of me and using the bed to help me get up."

"I don't think your left leg will support you and if you put all your weight onto the right one, you will be defeating the purpose. I don't care if you never use this again, but you are going to get up the correct way, either with the walker or with two canes. I suggest the walker."

"Ok, give me the walker."

Paul opened the offensive device and centered it around Carlos. He had Carlos place both of this hands on the grips and then stand.

I saw Carlos wince and favor his right side once he put all of his weight on both legs.

"I can see we've got a lot of work ahead of us. Do you want to try to take a couple of steps or should we start with the therabands and come back to this in a few days when your muscles are stronger?"

"Now," he said, taking a couple of steps forward, obviously in pain.

"I suggest using your pain pump and then trying this again in a few minutes. We can work with the therabands while the drug takes effect."

Before he argued again, I caught his attention.

"Carlos please, we both know you can power through anything you want to but please try to do this the right way. _Please_, for me?"

He looked like he was ready to growl again, but he didn't. He nodded at me and took a couple of steps back to the bed and sat down. He pressed his pain pump and looked at me.

"Thank you," I said, not expecting a response in return.

The PT pulled some therabands out of his lab coat pocket and handed a red one to Carlos.

"I'll take the green. I need more resistance than that."

"I suggest we start with the red. This afternoon you can have the green if you think you need more."

Carlos begrudgingly took the red one from him and they did a few resistance exercises. I could see that Carlos was in pain when he started. And I could tell just when his pain meds kicked in, because his face relaxed. The therapist saw it too and offered him the walker again.

This time Carlos took it without incidence.

He got up as Paul had showed him earlier and he took a few steps forward. Obviously he wasn't going to be running a marathon tomorrow, but I could tell Paul was impressed with his muscle strength.

"Do you want to try to walk around the room or is this enough for now?"

"I want to walk. My nurse won't take out the catheter until I can get to the bathroom on my own power, and that _has_ to come out today," he said emphatically.

I thought he did very well, but I could also see beads of sweat forming on his forehead. This was harder than he expected. At last his forty-five minutes were over. Paul closed the walker and packed up the therabands, promising to be back in the afternoon. Right after Paul's departure his nurse brought in an oversized ice pack for his leg. Thankfully Carlos accepted it and lay back down with it on.

While he was icing, I could hear some commotion in the hall. I went out to see what was going on. Someone on a gurney was being moved into the room on the other side of Carlos. I assumed it was Jason. I was going to step out into the hall to introduce myself when grumpy called me back.

"Babe, please don't go out into the hall without letting the guards know your intention."

"Carlos, Stefan and Angelo are on duty and they are right here. I think Jason was just brought in."

"Upon hearing his name, the man in the gurney looked over at me."

"Yes, I'm Jason."

"Hi, I'm Stephanie Plum, Carlos' fiancé."

I could see the wheels turning. "Ranger?"

"Yes. I'm sorry; I forget some people only know him as Ranger. His room is right here. And Tank is on the other side. I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of each other over the next few days."

Jason didn't answer because he had been wheeled into his room and the orderly was attempting to move him from the gurney to the bed. I'm sure we'd have a chance for formalities later.

While I was out and about I stuck my head into Tank's room to say hi and let them know Jason had arrived.

"How's Ranger's abuela?" he asked, looking up from the magazine he was reading."

"We don't know yet, but you two seemed to be carrying on some conversation last night."

"Neither one of us could sleep. I'm sure he told you why we brought Jason in."

"Aside from the French salve?" I joked. "I hope he remembers something. I'll see you two later, Carlos will go crazy if I'm gone too long."

Lula chimed in. "I want to show you the FB page I did for Campbell's Soup. Just tell Ranger it's business and come back."

"Ok, I'll be back as soon as I check in with grumpy."

I went back to Carlos' room and the curtain was closed around his bed. "Carlos?" I asked cautiously.

The nurse answered. "I'm removing his catheter. Just give us a minute."

Yay, maybe grumpy would have a better disposition now. No catheter and the ability to walk. Well, walk with a walker, which certainly didn't sit well with him. No, I assumed grumpy would still be grumpy.

The nurse opened Carlos' curtain and came out with a handful of tubing and the bag that had been attached. She dumped the tubing into the hazardous waste bin and took the bag out of the room with her.

"Carlos?" I asked, "How are you? I hope that didn't hurt."

"I'm ok Babe. Come here. Tell me what's going on outside."

He wasn't yelling.

"Jason was just moved in next door. And I promised Lula I'd go back into Tank's room to look at the Facebook page she created for Campbell's Soup. I didn't want to leave you alone for too long without letting you know what I was doing."

"Can Tank get up?"

"I don't think so, he seems to be attached to some sort of machine."

"A VAC?"

"I don't know what that is?"

"Did it sound like a vacuum?"

"Yes, a little."

"A VAC is vacuum assisted closure therapy. It's a vacuum device that allows for faster healing. They used them in the army a lot. I understand it works just as well on skin grafts as it does on open wounds. It's also portable, so he can go home with it. Good, I'm glad they've got him on it. We'll get out of here sooner."

"Did you want to see him?" I asked, wondering why he wanted to know if Tank could get up.

"Yes. I'd like to have a meeting with Jason too, but I'm sure he's going to be going through all kinds of evaluations today."

"Paul left the walker in the room, you know."

"I know. It's right there," and he pointed to it by the bathroom door. "Babe can you get it for me? I want to go next door. You can look at Lula's Facebook page while I talk to Tank."

Whoa. He was actually going to go out into the hall with a walker. Well it was only the contract guards on duty. It wasn't his regular men and I was pretty sure Tank had seen him in much worst shape.

I brought him the walker. "Carlos, do you think you ought to hit your pain pump before you start walking around?"

"Too late, I had Nancy take it away along with the catheter. She said she could give me a shot if I needed one."

"Do you need one?"

"Not now, maybe when we get back," he said, putting his weight equally on both legs and hoisting himself up.

He was actually doing pretty well with the walker, although his cute ass kept peeking out the back of the hospital gown as he walked. It was a nice view. I wasn't going to complain.

He nodded to Stefan who was outside our door. "We're going to see Tank for a bit, don't let anyone access this room while we're gone."

I didn't mind the view, but I didn't want the nurses or the guards gawking at Carlos' ass, so I turned around and grabbed another hospital gown that was sitting on the chair.

"Carlos, you might want to put this on like a robe."

"Why Babe, is my ass sticking out?"

"It is."

"Ha. Bring it along, I'll put it on once we get to Tank's room. I don't think I can stand on both legs to let go of this thing and do it here. Anyone who sees me will just have to be embarrassed. I'm not."

We shuffled out into the hall and made our way next door. I could see the beads of sweat forming on Carlos' forehead again, but I wasn't going to say anything. He was determined.

Lula was still busy on her computer and Tank was reading a National Geographic when we entered their room.

"Hey man, good to see you up," Tank said, looking up from his magazine. "What brings you here?"

"I wanted to talk about Jason," Carlos began, sitting down in the guest chair and wincing. He was going to need that shot when we got back.

I left him and Tank to talk and went over to see what Lula had.

"I gave this a lot of thought and I had Hal help me with some of the Photoshop. I know Hector is probably better, but I didn't want him to see what I was doing. Here, take a look."

It was fabulous. I mean fabulous! Lula used Andy Warhol's Campbell Soup art as her main image and her line was "The Art of Soup." She had an area dedicated to recipes called "Soup Makes You Feel all Warm Inside," and another blog-like area called "OK, Dish." She really did a great job.

"Lula this is fabulous. Where did you get this idea?"

"I was in Target with Binky and Erik last week and they had these limited edition Campbell's Soup cans done up like the Warhol painting to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the soup. So it's not _all_ my idea. I just borrowed. But I wrote the lines. And Hal helped me Photoshop all these old Campbell's Soup ads I found online so I could put them together in one section. See I call it "Mmm, mmm, goodies."

I guessed I never gave Lula enough credit. I knew she'd come up with something, but this wasn't just 'something,' this was so much better than I expected.

"Tank, did you see this?" I asked.

"Yeah, she's been working on this all day. She did a nice job."

"Carlos, you have to see this. Lula can you show him?"

Lula brought her laptop over to show her work to Carlos. He scrolled through not saying anything, just taking it all in. When he was done he beckoned her over as if to tell her something in her ear. But instead of saying anything, he gave her a lingering kiss to the top of her head.

"I'm so proud of you Lula," he said, "I don't know what I was expecting to see, but this certainly wasn't it. Campbell's Soup is going to fall over. You did a great job."

Lula was beaming. I guessed in her life it wasn't often a roomful of people praised her for her work.


	10. Chapter 10 — Rex to the Rescue

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for reading this through first and deeming it good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :)**

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 10 — Rex to the Rescue**

"And I have another idea," Lula continued, "but I'm gonna need your help. I wanna take a picture of Rex in his soup can. He's always been in a _Campbell's_ soup can and I'm gonna give him his own little area, 'Soup fit for a King.' I'll see what other kings I can come up with, but right now Rex gets center stage. I want people to send in pictures of how they recycle their cans and we can post them.

"That's a great idea. And Rex would love his fifteen minutes of fame."

"Your ass it's a good idea. It just came to me this morning."

While Lula and I were talking about her social media and viral ideas, Tank and Carlos were talking in much lower tones and I knew they were having a serious discussion. It had to be serious to get Carlos out in the hall with a walker. I wanted to 'listen' to their conversation but I knew if I asked once we got back to our room, Carlos would probably tell me.

"I think you should show your Facebook page to Hector," I said to Lula instead, to get my mind off of Tank and Carlos' conversation. "He's probably still in class, but he'll get back to you during his break."

"Without going live or showing him my laptop, I don't know how to get it to him."

"Just email him a screensnap. Even if he has to piece a couple of pages together to get the scroll, he'll be able to figure it out."

"Ok." Lula started screensnapping and emailing sections of her page to Hector.

"Tell him your Rex idea too, he'll like it."

"Maybe he can get Ella to let him into your apartment on seven so he can take a picture of Rex in his can for me?"

"Ask him. I'll text Ella now and let her know so she'll be expecting to hear from him."

Right after Lula emailed off her third screensnap to Hector, my phone dinged that I had a text. It was the man himself.

HECTOR: "I get Lula's emails. I really like what she did."

STEPHPLUM: "Aren't you in class today?"

HECTOR: "Class is cancelled until you and Lula get back. Bobby said we graduating early anyway, so it's ok to miss a few days."

STEPHPLUM: "We're graduating early?"

HECTOR: "Sí, we weeks ahead of schedule. We all getting A's :)"

STEPHPLUM: "U sure?"

HECTOR: "Sí. Can you and Lula conference call? I have idea for her page."

STEPHPLUM: "Give us a few minutes 2 go 2 Carlos' room so we won't disturb them."

"Lula, that was Hector, he wants us to get on a conference call with him. I told him we'd do it next door."

"Ok, let's go."

"Carlos, Lula and I are going into your room so we can talk to Hector. Stay here and I'll come and get you when we're done."

"Tank and I still have some things to discuss. Take your time."

"White girl, do you know what he wants?"

"He said he really liked your page and just had an idea."

Once we got to my room, I pulled up my laptop. I figured Skype was the easier way to do this so we could see each other while we talked. I called up Hector and Lula got her Campbell's FB page up on her laptop. I threw her a pad and pen so she could take notes.

"I like everyting," Hector began. "I especially like idea of people submitting pictures of how they recycle their soup cans. I like to see Rex's picture more toward top. It will have stopping power. People will look. I suggest swapping Rex with recipes. Everyone have recipes. Not a lot of people have a hamster in a chicken noodle soup can. I ask Ella if I can take picture. She say to give her half an hour, she needs to get lunch set up in the breakroom first." He paused before he continued. "This is really great work Lula."

"You think this shit comes easy? I told you. I'm a social media whiz."

It was hard for Lula to take praise, but I could see she was happy that her ideas were so well received.

"I'll email you Rex's picture once I have it. Bobby needs me to go out and fix a camera at Bristol-Myers. I be back in an hour or so. Great job. We talk later."

I disconnected from Hector and shut my laptop. We went back into Tank's room and they were still talking in low, serious tones. I guessed they both had a lot of ideas they needed to discuss.

"Babe, everything ok?" Carlos asked, noticing we were back.

"Did you know we're graduating early?" I replied remembering Hector's text.

"I knew that was a possibility when we brought Marcia and Antonio in to work with the three of you in such an intimate setting. I didn't realize you already completed most of your requirements though, it's only been about seven weeks."

"That's what Bobby told Hector. And he said we're all getting A's."

"Good for you. Are you ready to go back to our room? I want to call Bobby and I think I've overtaxed my leg. I'm going to need a shot after all."

Well at least he admitted it. And I could see the pain on his face. He was hurting.

I unfolded his walker for him and placed it in front of him so he could get out of the chair. While he was standing I put the other hospital gown that I brought with us over him backwards to cover his exposed ass. We said goodbye to Tank and Lula and we took to the hall again.

I helped Carlos sit down on the bed. I took the walker from him and folded it up and leaned it against the wall. It was within Carlos' reach if he felt motivated or for when his physical therapist came back later. I went out to the nurses' station and let the nurse on duty know that Carlos was in pain and asking for a shot. She said someone would be in shortly.

When I came back into the room he was on his phone. He had a strange look on his face and all I heard him say was, "Are you sure?" "Ok, well let me know what you two decide."

You two? I wondered who he was talking to.

I didn't have to wonder for too long. He put his phone down and turned to look at me. "That was my sister Lauren. Her and Brett are pregnant."

"Are they happy about it? Are they going to get married?"

"She just found out, she's in a state of shock. She didn't even tell Brett yet, she asked what I thought she should do. That's their decision, not mine. I wasn't going there. They seem to love one another, but their relationship is pretty new. I have no idea what they'll decide."

"Your sister told me they've loved each another for five years. That's not a new relationship. Do you think they'll keep the baby?"

"But it was five years while my sister was in a committed lesbian relationship. They weren't together as lovers. I don't know what I would do in her shoes. She's not a very religious person. She's kind of spirtitual, but not religious. I guess they will have to talk about it and come to some kind of a decision."

We would have been facing a similar decision had Kraven not played God and interfered. It bothered me that Brett said he was distanced from his family. I got the feeling he didn't have anyone to talk this over with but Lauren or maybe someone he was close to at Rangeman. I wasn't even sure who his Rangeman friends were; he always worked nights. I hoped they'd make the best decision for them. And I wondered why she had called Carlos and not their mom or one of her sisters. Then I had the answer. It was because Carlos and Rachel had gone through a similar thing.

"Babe, don't try to solve their problems for them. Is the nurse bringing me a shot?"

"I'm sorry Carlos, that was just something I wasn't expecting to hear. Yes, the nurse said someone would be right in. Are you ok? You _never_ complain about pain."

"I probably overdid it. I'll be fine."

"What were you and Tank discussing?" I asked, figuring I'd distract him with conversation until the nurse got the shot ready for him.

"We want to meet with Jason and see what he remembers, but Tank is also leary of him. He thought of the four of us, Jason was the most secretive and standoffish. Tank thinks there may be something that he's hiding. That's why I wanted to talk to Bobby. I'd like to run a search on him before we start asking questions."

"I have my laptop and all my search programs here, I can do it for you."

"Rangeman can get his military records. You wouldn't be able to access those, but thank you for asking."

"Did you call Bobby?"

"I was going to when Lauren called. I'll wait till after the nurse comes in. He or she would be Jason's nurse too and I don't want it known that we are investigating him. And I don't want Jason to pick up on anything either. The less everyone but us knows the better."

"I have your shot, Mr. Manoso," his nurse said entering the room with a syringe in his hand. "Could you lay down on your side, I need to give it to you in your buttocks."

Carlos winced as he maneuvered himself into position. I got another view of his perfect ass and thought for a minute about sinking my teeth into it. Then I remembered where we were. Stephanie, Stephanie, Stephanie.

"You should feel better in a few minutes," his nurse said, capping the needle and ejecting it into the hazardous waste bin. "I'll be back to do my rounds in about forty-five minutes," he said looking at his watch. "Then I'll take care of your wounds. Feel better."

"Thank you."

Carlos rolled over onto his back and retrieved his phone from the top of the small bed table that was next to him. "Bobby, can you do me a favor?"

Carlos then asked him to run a search on Jason Wright and also on Rick Wakeland, the other ex-special forces guy who was killed by the bomb. I was surprised by his second request, but I was sure there was a reason for it. Carlos looked like he was ready to hang up, but I saw him stall for a second, then put the phone on speaker so I could hear what Bobby was saying.

"We got a name on that guy that Ram pulled out of your room. Salvatore La Rocco. He's another CIA, Special Activities Division guy. Remember Agent Malone told us that Briggs hired him and Cagiano to find you?"

"Yes, I remember. He told us when we had him shackled in a cell at Rangeman."

"Right. Well obviously Briggs hired more than Malone and Cagiano. La Rocco had been working with the two of them."

"Had been, as in the past?"

"Yes, as in the past. Maybe present. We can't access any current information, but to me the link is good enough to say he probably still is. The thing that makes me really want to give this extra thought though is that Special Activities Division guys don't usually get caught. And we've caught two of them."

"I wondered about that when we caught Malone. I mean why would he shoot a Rangeman Security guard? He had to have known we'd get him?"

"Right, almost seems too coincidental. I'd really watch your back."

"Well right now there are guards outside of my room and Tank's, so I'd like to think we're safe. And Cal and Ram have been taking the night shift. I trust them with my life."

"Think I'd like to send down Hector and Manny. Hector is not a big guy so he won't stand out like Cal, but he's just as deadly…maybe more so."

"I think Hector is a good idea. Convince me about Manny."

"Manny is more intuitive than a lot of the guys. He's very smart. He's just been in some very unfortunate situations."

"Unfortunate situations that almost cost him his life. Do we dare risk that again?"

"Neither of those instances were his fault. He thought Scroggs was you and let his guard down and Garcia's thugs ambushed him. Both Garcia and Pearce are dead, so the disgruntled ex-Rangeman employee angle shouldn't be a problem anymore. I think we're dealing with a personal grudge. Briggs seems to have it in for you and will stop at nothing until he gets you. Perhaps Tank too. I think Manny's smarts will be invaluable."

I was nodding yes. I'd had Manny guard me many times over the last few years and he was a hard one to give the slip. Bobby was right; he was smart and intuitive. Carlos finally caught my exuberant nod and looked at me. I whispered, "Yes, take Manny."

"Ok Bobby, you and Steph just convinced me, Hector and Manny it is."

I was happy. Hector and Manny would be the perfect second team. We wouldn't need to rely on contract workers, no matter how well we knew them. Manny and Hector along with Ram and Cal were forces not to be reckoned with.

And speak of the devil again. My phone dinged with a text from Hector. It was a picture of Rex in his can. He looked very cute. Somehow Hector got him to pose with his head sticking out of the chicken noodle can instead of his butt. I hoped Rex didn't bite Hector. He usually didn't like to be handled for too long.

STEPHPLUM: "Cute. How did you get him to pose with his head out?"

HECTOR: "I put him in butt first."

STEPHPLUM: "And he didn't bite you?"

HECTOR: "Ella and I gave him cheerios and blueberries. He was happy."

STEPHPLUM: "Did you send this to Lula?"

HECTOR: "Sí. Manny and I coming down to you. We can work when I off duty. We have a noon flight. I see you around 1."

STEPHPLUM: "I know :) See you when you get here."

"Carlos, look at this picture Hector just sent me."

"Rex in his…_soup_ can. Is Lula using this?"

"Yep, it's her new idea. She wants people to send in pictures of how they recycle their soup cans. And she wants to feature Rex."

"It's brilliant. She's certainly surprised me. By the way, Tank told me that she's lost seventy pounds. She looks good. Maybe we can start introducing her to our clients as our social media director. She really does seem to have propensity for it."

"I know. I'm proud of her too. How are you feeling? Did your shot kick in yet?"

"Babe, come here." Yep his shot kicked in and he wanted me close. I sat down on the side of the bed and carefully tucked myself in next to him. I knew we'd be bothered soon. His nurse told us he'd be back. But in the meantime, it felt good to get close to Carlos.

Carlos took full advantage of the situation and began kissing and nibbling my neck. It's one of my most favorite things that he does to me and I felt my body begin to respond to him. "Carlos, you're making me crazy," I whispered.

"That's the point," he said, moving his hand to my breast and lightly running his fingers over my nipple.

He had moved himself onto his side, his good leg against the mattress and I could feel him harden behind me. I hadn't had sex in three weeks, so my body was really craving his. I wondered if we could do it in this little bed without anyone hearing us. We were under the covers, so even if someone came in, they wouldn't actually know what we were doing.

I unzipped my jeans and wiggled my pants down so we could be skin to skin. Well skin to hospital gown. I managed to get his gown up so I could feel his erect penis on my ass. God he felt so good.

"Babe do you want this too?" he asked moving his hand from my breast to my vagina. I'm sure he could feel how ready I was for him.

"Mmmm Carlos, yes. Oh God, do I ever want you."

And then he was inside of me. We are usually very active in our lovemaking, but this was different. I could feel him hitting my g-spot but he wasn't thrusting all that hard. His hand was still on my clit and I felt my orgasm building. He thrust into me once a little harder and I felt us both go over together. It was beautiful.

"Oh God, I love you so much Carlos," I said when I could.

"Dios Babe. You felt so good, I couldn't hold out any longer. I love you too."

We just stayed like that for a few minutes, with Carlos still inside of me. God, it felt so good to just be joined with him again.

I didn't want his nurse to catch us like this, so I got up and went into his bathroom to clean up. When I came out, his nurse was in the room. I'm sure Carlos' bed smelled like sex, but he didn't say anything. He had the French salve and clean bandages with him, as well as a couple of fresh hospital gowns and clean sheets.

He was changing the dressing on Carlos' shrapnel wounds and I leaned in to see how they looked. His nurse pointed out one of the larger ones that was closing up.

"They look really good, I don't think he's going to have much scarring at all. I'd like to get the ok to use this on his surgical site. He has absorbable sutures so we don't have to worry about the wound healing around them. His surgeon will be in later to see how he's doing. If I'm not here can you mention using the eicosanoid on his surgical wound?" the nurse asked me.

"Ike-what?"

"Eye-KAH-sah-noid. If you just say eye-kah-something and you mention the French salve, he'll know what you mean. Mr. Manoso, you know what this is right?"

"It's a biologic. I believe it's a bioactive lipid that promotes healing on a cellular level, am I right? I think it's being used in cancer research too."

"Very good. You must read a lot. Now let's get you washed and changed. If I leave the soap and water will you be able to clean yourself up? I want to check on Mr. Sherman. I'll be back to change your sheets and help you with your gown in about ten minutes."

"Carlos, did you really know what he was talking about?" I asked as I handed Carlos a sudsy washcloth so he could wash himself. I knew he wouldn't let me touch him so I didn't even bother to try. Although had we not just played around, it would have been fun.

"The doctor told me they were going to be using it on my shrapnel wounds and I asked about it. I'm sure I gave him a simplistic answer, but then I'm sure that's all I got. I understand its medical applications are pretty amazing." He paused for a second and looked at me, his eyes dilating black. "You're pretty amazing too, Babe," he said and leaned in to kiss me.

"That was fun," I whispered, "and we almost got caught."

"I wonder what he would have done."

"Probably he would have just dropped off the sheets and gowns and gone into Tank's room. He seems pretty cool."


	11. Chapter 11 — The Smoking Gun

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for reading this through first and deeming it good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :)**

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 11 — The Smoking Gun**

It was only early afternoon and I felt like a whole day had passed already. What is it with hospitals getting you up at the crack of dawn to check your blood pressure? And thinking about hospitals made me wonder how Carlos' abuela was doing.

"Carlos, maybe you should call Daria to find out how your grandmother is?"

"I'll call her later. I'm sure Daria, my mother, and probably my sister Izzy are at the hospital and I really don't feel like talking to everyone right now. If things weren't going well I'd have heard from one of them. And if Lauren called Daria after she called me, I'm sure they all have a lot to talk about."

I understood what he was saying. Even though his family was so different than mine, they were still family and everyone had an opinion. So I was sure we'd hear from someone both about Lauren and his grandmother when there was something to tell.

My phone dinged that I had a text and it took me out of my musings. It was Hector.

HECTOR: "We're on our way to the hospital. C U soon."

STEPHPLUM: "Ok."

"Hector and Manny are on their way here. I'm surprised they haven't brought lunch yet, it's a little after one."

"I hear the cart in the hall. I'm sure your food will be here shortly. I wonder if Bobby was able to pull together any information on Jason or Rick? Tank's radar is usually pretty acute and if he's feeling that something is up with Jason, I'm betting something is up. I'd like to go in and talk to him, but I want that background check first."

"I can get everything but his military records if you want me to look too?"

"Let's give Bobby another hour. If I don't hear anything by then, then yes, you can run a search. My worst fear is that Jason will walk in here and see his particulars on your computer."

"I can be discreet, but I know what you're saying."

Our food came at the same time as Carlos' physical therapist Paul.

Thankfully Paul was accommodating. "I see your lunch just arrived. I have another patient down the hall who, by the direction the cart is heading, has already eaten. We're just doing therabands, so I should be about twenty minutes. I'll come back."

When it rains, it pours. As soon as Paul left, Hector and Manny showed up.

"Estefania, chica. Es good to see you. How is Ranger?" Hector asked, greeting me first as I was mobile and met them at the door. I hugged Hector; it was so good to see him. Then I hugged Manny, who I hadn't seen in weeks, "Hey, how are you? How's Mariella?"

"We're good. Hey, I hear there's going to be a very first Rangeman wedding."

"What? Who? Not Lester?" I asked, jumping to conclusions.

"No, your future sister-in-law and Brett."

"Lauren?"

"Um hmmm. Brett couldn't be happier. He's going to be a father."

Holy shit, that happened fast. We had just heard the news early this morning.

"He's happy?" I asked, wondering if he was just covering up for some other emotion.

"He's ecstatic. If people smoked, he'd be handing out cigars."

Carlos' ears perked up. Obviously Lauren told Brett after her conversation with Carlos and things progressed rather quickly. "They certainly didn't waste any time announcing that," he mumbled, "don't couples usually wait until after the first trimester?"

"Carlos, give them a break. They love each other. They're happy," I said.

"Lauren didn't sound all that happy to me, she sounded panicked."

Manny was busy taking in what Carlos was saying. "They live next door to Mariella and I on four and we've become good friends. They've been talking marriage and children for a while. As you probably know, Brett was Lauren's sperm donor when her and Jenn were together. Had it worked, _that _would have been Brett and Lauren's biological baby. He wants a child with her and was willing to be an absent parent to have it. Now he won't have to be absent. We're very happy for them. They are talking about a June wedding."

"So I guess it's not a secret?" Carlos went on.

"The wedding or the baby?"

"Both."

"No secret. Brett just asked Bobby if they can use our safehouse in Santorini for their honeymoon."

"And what did Bobby say?"

"He said he needed to talk to the core team, that it wasn't his decision alone. I'm sure he'll conference you and Tank today. I think he was waiting for Rodriguez' report on your fellow incarcerators before he called."

So that's why this was taking so long. Rodriguez was doing the search himself. And I liked Manny's word, 'incarcerators,' funny.

"How long have these guys been on duty?" Manny continued. "Do you need us to take over or can we check into our rooms at Fischer Hall, wherever that is?"

"Stefan and Angelo took over for Cal and Ram at eight this morning. We were doing twelve hours shifts; they'll be on till eight. But now that you're here we can either let them go or divide the shifts up into eight hours apiece. Your call, I don't want to dictate," Carlos said.

"We can take over at four today, so that they get their eight hours and then if it's ok with Cal and Ram, we can each do twelve hour shifts. I'd feel better knowing it was all our men guarding you and Tank," Manny suggested.

"We've run full reports on Stefan and Angelo. They are trustworthy and we've used them before. But you are the ones who will be working; talk it over with Cal and Ram and just let Tank, Bobby and I know what you've decided."

Carlos' phone buzzed while they were discussing rotations.

"Yo." "You got the reports back on Wright and Wakeland?" "Anything?" "I see. Do you think that's cause for alarm?" My ears perked up at that. What was cause for alarm? "Manny and Hector arrived. I'll talk to Tank and call you back."

"Babe, can you help me with that stupid walker again, I need to talk to Tank?"

I was coming along, whether he liked it or not, this sounded good. I unfolded the walker for him and helped him put the second gown on like a robe. It was still hard for him to stand and put all his weight on both legs. I knew he hated me helping him, especially in front of his men, but right now that couldn't be helped. I was sure he'd put on the super-alpha male show at some point to let everyone know he was still in charge.

"We're coming too," Hector announced. "We're here to help and we'll need access to this latest intel to be able to do our jobs effectively." Whoa Hector. Big word. Those English classes were certainly doing their job.

After Carlos got himself up and moving, the four of us headed out to Tank's room. I nodded to Angelo who was outside that we were headed next door. He nodded back that he understood.

"Babe, can you text Cal and Ram and ask them to join us? I think I'd rather only have this discussion once, you never know who may be listening."

I texted Ram first and he texted me back right away. He and Cal found an Equinox gym nearby and went for a workout as Rangeman had reciprocal rights with Equinox. He said they could be back at the hospital in five minutes. If it were me and I was on a treadmill, it would take me twenty-five to get here, but never underestimate the power of a Rangeman.

I told everyone what Ram said and we talked about Brett and Lauren while we waited for Ram and Cal. I'm telling you, Rangemen were bigger gossipers than some of the women in the 'Burg.

Tank and Lula seemed upset by the news. "We wanted to have the first Rangeman wedding," Lula said, "but we won't be able to pull it together by June. It'll take that long to get a custom suit for Tankie."

I looked at Hector; we were both thinking the same thing. Miguel. If a suit were the only problem, Hector's boyfriend might be able to help. But it seemed to me, getting Tank up and walking should take priority over a suit. But what did I know.

Thankfully Cal and Ram arrived before this turned into a pissing contest.

Once everyone said hello and found seats perched on tables, windowsills and sinks, Carlos began. "I just got a call from Bobby. As you may or may not know Tank thought it prudent that we run a search on Jason before we talk to him about what he may have seen in the garage the night before the explosion. Rodriguez ran searches on both he and Rick Wakeland. He covered their personal lives as well as their military careers and something slightly alarming popped up. Wakeland served under Briggs in Rwanda."

"So maybe the bomb wasn't meant for you?" I asked.

"Maybe not, but how was anyone to know that Rick would be driving the truck Saturday morning? I had driven it everyday until then. Now Rick's dead, so he's not going to be able to give us any answers."

"Anything on Wright?" Tank asked.

"Just that he and Wakeland were serving time for crimes similar to ours. Jason was running a government op and was left for dead in Syria. He and Wakeland were Delta Forces together and remained tight when they got out. Both ran missions for the government. Unlike some of ours, the one Jason was on was not classified and Wakeland knew where he was. When he didn't hear from him after a few weeks, he persuaded Delta Forces to go in and look for him. They did and found him…barely alive. Unfortunately, courts martial were issued against them for using American troops for a private mission. The courts martial were instigated by Colonel Andrew Briggs."

Holy shit. Someone had to stop Briggs. He was like a one-man militia—taking out everyone who didn't see eye-to-eye with his beliefs. I wondered what Wakeland did when he served under Briggs' to get in his crosshairs.

"Do we know in what capacity Wakeland served under Briggs?" I asked, needing a little more information.

"Sergeant." He paused to let us take that in. "Yep, he was responsible for carrying out Briggs' orders. Possibly Jason knows something. Since we don't have any negative info on him, I suggest Tank and I find out what he does know."

There was a knock on Tank's door. "You don't have to. I'm right here. I wanted to talk to the two of you but I see we're of like minds," Jason said from his walker situated in Tank's doorway. "Can I come in?"

I think Tank and Ranger felt a little embarrassed getting caught in the act, but they didn't show it. They invited him in and I gave him my chair. After all he was walking with a walker and was wearing bandages. I could perch with the other guys if this conversation didn't become restricted.

Carlos introduced Jason to everyone and explained who Cal, Ram, Hector and Manny were. I guessed Tank and Carlos had spoken about Rangeman while they were locked away. Jason didn't seem surprised by the men in black or the guards outside.

"I guess I need to apologize," Jason started when we were all situated again. "Rick and I have had a few close brushes over the last few months that seemed anything but accidental and we were leary of any and everyone.

"I own my own plane and it had been sabotaged a couple of times. Once the brake line was cut and another time it was the fuel line. Thankfully I'm as anal as one can get and I found both on pre-flights.

"Rick liked to hunt and often went up to a cabin he had in the middle of nowhere for days at a time. He always wore orange safety vests so it would be pretty hard to mistake him for a deer, or a bear for that matter. Well twice last fall he was shot at. Once with a crossbow and another time with a .25 caliber. Luckily whoever shot him was either too far away or a bad aim; both ended up just grazing him.

"We weren't sure if the two of you were friend or foe," he continued. "Yes we were in for similar crimes, but we had no way of knowing if you were for real or plants put in place by whoever has been trying to kill us. At least you were able to check Rick and I out. As you can tell, we were just a couple of guys doing our jobs."

Tank took the lead on responding to Jason. "We too have had similar mishaps. We have a NetJets account as we do a lot of corporate flying and don't want the responsibility of owning our own plane. We were coming back from our Article 32 and were over rural Virginia when our pilot noticed the fuel pressure dropping and made an emergency landing. Our fuel line had also been cut.

"We've also been shot at, well Stephanie has, twice. We attributed it to one of her FTAs, but quite possibly it was someone trying to get to Ranger through her.

"Hector here and our lawyer Devon Patterson have been very mistrustful of Briggs for a long time. With some digging we've found a court martial issued against him that was never filed. It was for sexual misconduct. One of our lawyer's associates started asking questions and found a captain willing to testify against Briggs. We've formally submitted the Article 32 prep. That's why we have guards. None of us are safe."

"May I ask who this captain is?"

"Captain Robert Azzopardi. Do you know him?"

"No. I thought you were going to say Captain David White. I think Captain White might open your eyes to some of Briggs' antics too. He's a good guy, he'll talk to your lawyer."

Oh boy, another captain who might testify against Briggs. This seemed like it could really pan out in our favor.

"How do you know Captain White?" Carlos asked.

"He was in The Unit* with Rick and I. We remained friends even after he was recruited by SAD."

My ears picked up when I heard SAD. These Special Activities Division guys kept popping up all over the place. Wondered if White knew Cagiano, Malone and La Rocco? And more importantly what did he have on Briggs?

"We worked with White on a joint operation, before we left the military," Carlos said, indicating he and Tank. "I didn't know he was with SAD. Unfortunately, Briggs seemed to have contracted a few SAD men to watch me, possibly to kill me," Carlos went on. "And I don't think Tank is safe either."

"White is actually SOG it's the special operations group within SAD. I don't think he has much contact with SAD itself. And I can 100% vouch for him. He's living down here in DC. I have his contact information. I know; I'm coming in here, making suggestions and upsetting your apple cart. Have your guys run a check on White first. I'm sure you'll see he's clean."

This was getting more and more interesting by the minute and so far no one threw Lula or I out of the room.

"Babe, do you have your phone with you? Obviously I don't have an extra hand, or a pocket. Can you call Bobby and either put him on speaker or tell him all Jason just told us."

"Which would you prefer?" I asked, pulling my phone out of my jeans and hitting the Rangeman button.

"Give him a short synopsis and then put him on speaker."

Shirley answered the Rangeman general number. I guessed she had taken her diction classes because she sounded half human. "Hi Shirley, it's Steph, can you connect me to Bobby?" "Thanks."

Then I told the room why I called the general number. "I wanted this call to be as secure as possible. I know calls to our general number can be scrambled. Bobby will do that before he picks up if he knows it's me and I chose to call him this way."

"Steph. What's up?" Bobby answered.

I gave him the 45-second version and put him on speaker. Carlos, Tank and Jason took turns filling in the blanks and supplied Bobby with David White's contact information. Bobby was going to run a search and get back to us within the hour.

Unfortunately our little meeting was broken up by Carlos' physical therapist Paul knocking on the door. "I'm sorry to bother you." Paul said, not sounding particularly sorry. "I worked with my last two patients while I waited for your meeting to adjourn. Mr. Manoso and I need to work one more time today. He can come back after we're done, I just need him for about forty-five minutes."

Carlos took the walker from where I folded it, opened it again and got up. I could see it hurt him to do so, but he was going to show as few signs of weakness as possible in front of his men and Jason. Stoic Carlos.

I followed him back out to his room in case he needed me. I knew he could let his guard down in front of me and possibly after his therapy session reveal some of his thoughts about what we just learned.

Paul put him through a similar routine to what he did in the morning. Obviously he saw that Carlos was able to get himself up and around as he was next door, so I wondered what next steps would be.

"Mr. Manoso, how are you feeling? I see you've been walking?" he asked as he opened Carlos' walker for him after the therabands warm-up.

"It still hurts to put weight on it, but I can get around with this contraption. How long before I try to walk on my own?"

"Small steps, Mr. Manoso. You are just a little over 24-hours out of major surgery. If you are still feeling ok tomorrow morning, we can move to a cane. I think you're still a few days away from putting your full weight on that leg. And you'll have to walk stairs before we send you home. Resign yourself to three more days here."

Carlos did his walk around the room. He folded the walker himself and showed Paul he could get up and down unaided. Paul smiled at me when he left. He had Carlos' act.

"So what do you think?" I asked, once Paul was gone.

"About using a cane, or about our meeting with Jason."

"Well both, but I was interested in your thoughts on the meeting we just had."

"I have mixed emotions. I'm happy Jason and Rick were not plants. As he was that we weren't. Not sure I trust anyone in SAD right now and that includes Captain White. I want to see what Bobby pulls up in his search and I want to talk to Jason again without an audience. We never broached what he saw if anything the night before the explosion."

"Jason did clarify that White was in SOG, not SAD. What if SOG was investigating Briggs?"

"I thought about that myself. Let's see what Bobby comes up with. It's been an hour, should we try to call him?"

"I think you should conference in Tank, but yeah, call him."

"White is clean," Bobby reported to Tank and Carlos. "Commodation medals, outstanding performance record. He was a COS** takeout, I believe that's how you worked with him. Looks to me like Jason's right, he's a good guy."

*This is how people within Delta Force refer to themselves.

** Critical Occupation Specialty. Allows officers with certain critical skills like Special Forces to take on JDA (Joint Duty Assignments).


	12. Chapter 12 — Gaining Intel

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for Beta-ing my story and deeming it good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :)**

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

This is just a short chapter that didn't fit within Chapter 11 or as part of Chapter 13. I'm sorry it's so short, but it is powerful.

**Chapter 12 — Gaining Intel**

"I'm still hooked up to this goddamn machine that makes more noise than my snoring," Tank said after we heard Bobby's news. "Ranger, if you could get Jason and the two of you could come in here, maybe we can find out what he saw, if anything and what he knows about White's appointment. Bobby do you think you could get in touch with White? If he's in DC like Jason said, maybe we can meet with him. Obviously he'll have to come to us."

"I'll get to White. But I think it prudent that you have at least Hector and Manny with you in your meeting. They'll be taking next rotation and if anything unexpected comes out of this meeting, I think they should know what to expect."

"I agree," Carlos said. "And I don't want to exclude Stephanie. She has a way of looking at things that could prove invaluable."

Glad I was invaluable. I was also happy that no one put their foot down when Carlos suggested I be allowed to listen in on what Jason had to say. Yes, I was nosey but I also knew I saw things differently than the guys did. Sometimes to our benefit.

Since it was still hard for Carlos to get up and down I was the dedicated gopher. I went next door to Jason and told him about the proposed meeting. He was playing video games on his phone to pass the time, so it wasn't like he was unavailable. I also texted Hector and Manny.

I got a text back from Hector first.

HECTOR: "We just got rooms in Fischer Hall. Can be to U in a few minutes."

Then I got one from Manny.

MANNYRAMOS: "We're on our way."

I helped Carlos hobble to Tank's room once again. I was sure he was going to need a pain shot after this, he had definitely overtaxed himself today. Jason was already there and Lula was showing him her Facebook page for Campbell's Soup.

He was smiling. "I like the hamster," he said to no one in particular.

"That's Rex. He's mine. He's always had a soup can for his den and Lula picked up on it."

"I don't know the client, but it made me smile. Good luck with it."

Way to go Lula.

Hector and Manny made an entrance while we were talking and Hector closed the door behind them. "They don't need to hear out conversation. I not 100% sure of them yet."

While everyone was getting comfortable my phone rang. It was Bobby, so I put him on speaker. "I just spoke to White. He didn't know about the bomb and sends his condolences and get well wishes. He's in DC and can get over to the hospital around four o'clock. You might want to hold off on your meeting until then."

"That's a half hour from now," Carlos said without the aid of a watch or a phone. "We'll talk amongst ourselves and if we have to repeat anything we will. Thank you Bobby. Is Lester back to work? I know he took some time off for Autumn, but I haven't heard from him at all."

"Lester is due back tomorrow. Do you need to talk to him? He's local; he's staying with Autumn. Do you want him to call you?"

"It's not a rush. I can talk to him when he's back. I was just missing his wise-ass mouth."

We disconnected from Bobby and didn't wait for White before asking questions.

"Jason, we never asked you," Tank began, "but the night before the bomb went off, you were the last person in the garage. Did you see anything?"

"I've been through this many times in my head since the explosion. The light was on, but that wasn't that unusual. We shared the garage with the department of public works and it had been left on before. I stacked the cones and put them into the corner as one of us did every night. I was about to turn off the light and close the garage door when something made me turn around and look again. I didn't see anything. But you know our training; we are so attuned to picking up on the smallest movement. If I had to bet on it, I'd say someone was in the garage with me."

"That's what I almost expected to hear," Carlos said. "Why didn't you say something to us? We would have all gone back in with you on some kind of pretense."

"I wasn't positive until recently. As I said, I went over that night many times in my mind. I didn't really _see_ anything; it was all just a sense. And we hadn't had a threat to the four of us before. Even now…I mean…it could have been one of the DPW guys."

"I'm sure we could get a report on their activity. DPW is a clock-in, clock-out set up, isn't it? If it were one of them, I'm sure we'd be able to find out. We can have Rangeman look into it. Stephanie can you call Bobby back and have one of our guys look into the DPW in Ft. Benning, Georgia? I think the actual town is Ft. Benning South."

I knew I was going to be asked, so I already had my phone out and was punching in the Rangeman general number when there was a knock on Tank's door. Manny got up to get it, gun drawn. I heard talking at the door, but I wasn't paying 100% attention as I had Bobby on the line. Once I told Bobby what we needed and disconnected, I looked up. Manny was escorting three men into the room. I assumed it was Captain White and security, but until I was introduced I wasn't sure.

Mr. 'I think it's White', did one of those man-shake things first with Jason, then with Tank and finally with Carlos. All four were smiling broadly.

Carlos introduced us. "Please don't call me captain," Captain White said, "like you, I'm out. In fact I'm CIA now. SOG division. Just call me David."

David introduced the two guys with him. They _were_ his security detail. I had a feeling this was going to be good.

Jason, Carlos and Tank brought David up to speed on their incarcerations, the hard labor and the bombing.

"I'm sorry about Rick. We lost a good man," David said finally. "I had hopes of bringing him into SOG with me. Listen, what I'm going to tell you is classified but you seem to be in the middle of it. Maybe if we put our heads together we can get to the bottom of this.

"I was brought into SOG to investigate some _unusual _activities within the armed forces. As you well know SAD and SOG recruit from 1st SFOD-D as well as other special forces groups, so their hiring me wasn't going to raise suspicions. Rick knew what I was really hired to do. He had served under Briggs in Rwanda, and came to DC to meet with me shortly after my acceptance into the CIA. He relayed some stories about Briggs' unsanctioned activites ranging from torture to rape on men he didn't think 'fit in.' What Rick didn't know was that Briggs was already under investigation.

"Briggs thought he had an ally in Cagiano, who I believe you've met," he smiled wrly. "Briggs hired Cagiano to pull together a few trustworthy members of SAD to eliminate Manoso and Sherman. Briggs also hired a few members of SOG to 'watch over' Cagiano and Malone to make sure they were doing the job. Malone and La Rocco allowed themselves to get captured by Rangeman, hoping to quietly alert you that something was going on. I believe you picked up on it, but not right away."

"One of my core team wondered out loud about not just one, but two SAD guys getting captured by us. And Stephanie picked up on the possibility of SOG investigating Briggs last night. I was still under the impression that men within SAG were on Briggs' _team_ and I was very mistrustful. Even of you," Carlos replied. "It was Malone that told me he and Cagiano were _contracted_ by Briggs."

"Good, then Briggs is probably still unaware that he is being watched and that his 'allies' aren't allies at all. We plan to take him down."

"Our lawyer just issued an Article 32 prep against him," Carlos continued. "His team found a Captain Azzopardi who agreed to testify. I hope this doesn't jeopardize your mission. Probably by tomorrow at the latest Briggs will know about the Article 32. That's why we have guards posted outside our rooms. I don't trust that man for a minute."

"Well just to ease your minds, our SAD team would never 'eliminate' you, Sherman or Wright. They might take you into custody to let Briggs think you were captured and maybe even killed, but they wouldn't harm you. And now that you know maybe we can use that as the lure. I need to think about it, I don't want to injure you any more than you are and Briggs would need to see you manhandled to actually believe it.

"We are still trying to find out who Briggs used to try to kill Wright and Wakeland. It wasn't SAG. He probably has some other organization under his belt as well. And whoever that is, is who I'm most concerned about right now."

"Well they were a bad shot," Jason interrupted.

"Or they were working with a long-range site, they could have been miles away. My gut is that Briggs has friends within the border patrol. The border patrol is a component of the Department of Homelands Security, but what not too many people know is that they created SOG to try to put a stop to the smuggling that was going on between the U.S. and Mexico. The border patrol and SOG patrol all our borders. Your home in Washington State is not too far from the U.S. Canadian borderline. In the northern Rockies we patrol by air. A shot fired from the air even with a site has a 50/50 chance of hitting its target unless heat-seeking missle guided."

"And you haven't been able to confirm the border patrol?" Carlos asked.

"We're trying to not set off alarms. We just made some personnel adjustments to have one of our DC SOG guys oversee Washington State operations, but it could take months to get the intel together.

"So how do the sabotaged planes fit in?" Tank asked.

"We are not 100% sure. In fact I only knew about Jason's until today. Yours happened in DC; Joint Base Andrews is not that far away. But I doubt he used an army mechanic to disarm your plane. Probably someone he has working for him within the grounds crew at Reagan. We'll keep our eyes open now that we know about it. Oh, and by the way the four of you were not the only ones who seem to be targeted for elimination. We have eight other ex-special forces men we are keeping on our radar. Briggs is a dangerous man."

Holy shit. It was kind of making sense now. Well it didn't actually make sense at all, but it was making as much sense as it could without a reason for Briggs' actions.


	13. Chapter 13 — Baker's Dozen

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for Beta-ing my story and deeming this chapter good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :)**

**Thank you Dana **and **trhodes9 **for your sharing your knowledge of things I wasn't too familiar with. Much appreciated.

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 13 — Baker's Dozen**

"Is there any significance to Briggs targeting a dozen men?" I asked. You know like King Arthur's round table. There were twelve knights, and then King Arthur."

Everyone looked at me like I had two heads. I went on. "You know twelve months in a year. Twelve apostles. A dozen eggs. And I could probably come up with some more if I thought about it."

"No one knows what's going on in his head. It could be anything. There's a lot of symbolism associated with the number twelve. But something tells me it wasn't planned." David answered me finally.

"Something Stephanie just said," Hector broke in. "I not so sure I dismiss it so quickly. He could be seeing himself as the leader. Twelve knights and King Arthur. Twelve apostles and Jesus. Twelve tribes and Jacob. Twelve Imams and Muhammad. Twelve jurors and a judge. History repeats itself."

Did that just come out of Hector's mouth? He's almost as scarily smart as Carlos. And if I was out-of-my-mind insane, I'd probably be following some kind of tried and true plan too.

"We'll just try to keep an eye on him. Not that it matters he doesn't seem to be doing his own assaults. We certainly don't have enough manpower to keep our eyes on twelve men."

"It's eleven now and three are here," Carlos said. "Do these other eight know they are targets? And are they spread out all over the country or just certain areas? Rangeman has offices in Trenton, Boston, Miami and Atlanta. I may have a few men to spare if it will save lives and help you get to Briggs."

"There have been assaults on all of them. All are ex-special forces, so they are acutely attuned and now that they know they are targets they will have their eyes and ears open. But if you're serious about your offer, I may take you up on it. Two guys are in the greater Boston area. One is in Ft. Lauderdale and one in Ft. Myers, not too far from Miami. We have three in the mid-west and one in Philadelphia."

"I can probably get men on all but the three in the mid-west, although I have contract men I can pull just about everywhere."

"I think we can handle the mid-west. They are not near each other. One is in Ohio, one in Michigan and one in Minnesota."

"Border towns?" Carlos asked, looking at a mental map of the U.S. in his head.

"Border towns and coastal areas, except for Trenton and Philly which are still easily accessible by water along the Delaware."

"I sure hope you can get to whoever you think may be helping Briggs in the border patrol. This is not just Washington State anymore."

"We know. If we don't have to worry about the lives of eleven men I think we can add more SOG officials to check out the border patrol. My feeling is that it's just a couple of men. If there were a bunch of rotten apples, we'd know about it by now. They're usually pretty good at finding corruption within their agency and just as good at taking care of it."

"David, can I get the names and address of the five guys within Rangeman jurisdiction? And Stephanie, can I have your phone? I want to make this happen right away."

I gave Carlos my phone and David pulled out his.

"Is there anything we can do to help get Briggs?" Manny, who had been quiet up until this point, asked. "We're here, he's here."

"Please don't take matters into your own hands." David said, taking his attention from his phone to Manny. "He's on our radar and we are watching him closely. And you said you have an Article 32 out on him. That might make him nervous and he might act again. We'd like to catch him in the act so we can put him away for a long time."

"Can we help catch him in the act?" Hector added, smiling that sly smile of his.

Hector had something up his sleeve. "We're security and technology experts and we'll do whatever you need us to do. If something falls into that grey area, use us, we're not military."

And we have a different code of ethics, although that was not said out loud. Briggs was going down.

David ended his call. "The names, numbers and addresses of the five men are being emailed to Rangeman. Hector, just what did you have in mind?"

"Installing cameras and listening devices in his office and home. Getting into his computer and reading his email. Perhaps put a virus on his computer. If he has an iPhone I already have an app I can put on that will let us monitor his actions. If he has a Blackberry, I just need to make some adjustments."

"And how do you plan on getting his phone and computer?"

There was that sly smile again. "I can bypass any security devise, I can get into his house and office at night."

"His office is in the Pentagon. I have LX and SCI clearance. I can get you into his office, but not at night. How long would you need?"

"Depends on how locked up he is. If he's lax with security, I can get all done in ten minutes. If he have multiple passcodes in place, I need a little more time, but I can get in."

I had no doubt about that. Hector was the best hacker I had ever met. Well, not that I'd met that many, but Hector was really good.

"I believe he has a Blackberry, they're standard military issue. But he may have more than one phone. Can you make the modifications here, or do you need to go back to Trenton?"

"If one of our men can get what I need from my computer and get it to me securely, I can do from here. I have my laptop. Ranger, Hal would know what to pull." Hector looked back at David. "Show me your papers. If I can borrow for twenty minutes, I'll have LX SCI clearance too."

"I don't think I want to hear anymore. We may be crossing that grey area. We notice Briggs likes to get in early and leave around 4:30. We should have no problem with clearance from 4:30 through 6. After seven we wouldn't be able to get in or out, even with LX SCI clearance."

Hector smiled again. Goddamn he was sneaky.

"If we go in together, I get out, even if it's after seven. No worries. I don't want you to compromise anyting. Just show me his office and leave. Grey areas, remember?" He smiled again.

"And his house?" David asked.

"He probably has his phone on him except when he's sleeping. I'd like to get in there around 2am. It should take a few minutes to fix his phones. I need about ten minutes for cameras and audio pickups. I'm sure my bugs are less detectable than his bugs," Hector smiled again. I guessed he'd heard about Ram pulling the bugs out of Tank and Carlos' rooms.

"Again, I'm not sure I should be hearing this. He has a son living at home; all his other kids are out of the house. His wife doesn't work. His son might be a problem; he tends to keep late hours. He might be up at 2 am."

"I'll take care of the son," Manny said. "I'll need to follow him for a day or two to pick up on his pattern, but I think we'll need that long anyway."

"I'd like to bug his office tomorrow. The sooner we get devices in place, the better. Can I borrow your clearance papers? I have a scanner with me."

David took his wallet out of his pocket and produced a few classified looking papers. He handed them to Hector. Hector took a small hand scanner out of his computer bag, ran the papers through and handed the originals back to David. Twenty minutes of Hector's Photoshop magic would produce Hector Santiago or whoever he planned on calling himself with LX and SCI clearance too. I was sure of this. The tats on the other hand might be a problem, hoped he had his DermaBlend with him. I didn't think a CIA agent with sensitive information and confidential secret clearance would be walking around with gang tats.

The guys all shook hands again and David left, promising to pick Hector up around 4:30 tomorrow. I wished there was something I could do to help. I guessed Manny saw the look on my face.

"Don't worry Bomber, I may need you to do a distraction with me. How are you with younger men?"

I heard Carlos growl. I guessed he was thinking of some of my previous distraction outfits. I knew he didn't like to share, even if it was in his best interest.

"I want to help, Carlos. I won't be in harms way. I trust Manny 100%. And I'm sure we'll have backup."

"Anything I can do?" Lula asked. "I can distract with the best of them."

And it was true. Even though Lula was down seventy pounds, she still had humongous boobs. She certainly could distract. This time it was Tank that growled.

"I'm going back to my room," Hector said. "I have to do a little work. Ranger, do we have courier service from Trenton to here? After I create the authorizations, I need Hal to print it out on the U.S. government watermarked paper we have at Rangeman. I also want him to send me information from my tower so I can create that app to monitor Briggs' Blackberry activity."

"We do. Hal can set that up. It should take anywhere from two to three hours to get here, there's a courier out of Mercer about once an hour."

"Gracias. I think we need those contract men after all, looks like Manny and I will be a little busy."

I had a feeling once Manny had his intel on Briggs' kid I was going to be busy too. I was mentally going over what I had with me that I could wear as a distraction outfit, when I heard Carlos talking to me.

"Babe, I'm pretty sure I've overtaxed my leg, can you get one of the nurses to prepare a shot for me. I don't think I'll be able to walk around much longer."

Maybe it would knock him out for a while and I could get Manny to take me to Hector's room so I could watch him create his new identity. But somehow I knew Carlos wasn't going to let me leave the room, even with Manny. After I helped Carlos back into his room and got him seated comfortably, I went out to the nurses station to ask about the shot.

I got that all set up for him and as I turned back towards his room I saw McHugh get off the elevator and walk towards Carlos' room. If Tank and Carlos weren't so sure he was on the right side, I'd have my doubts about him. Maybe the better show would be in Carlos' room right now.

"Hi Major McHugh," I said catching up to him.

"Oh hi Stephanie, how are our soldiers today?"

"Carlos has been overdoing it, I just asked one of the nurses to give him a shot, and Tank hasn't really been up yet. They still have him attached to that vacuum. Anything going on that we should know about?"

"I had Captain Azzopardi brought into protective custody. Briggs knows about the Article 32. It's on the docket for two weeks from today, June 12th. I wanted to bring Patterson in as well, but he says Rangeman is watching his back. I sure hope so, Briggs is totally unpredictable."

I wasn't going to tell McHugh anything we just learned. If Carlos felt the need, he could tell him.

The nurse was right behind us. "If you're going to stay out here and talk, I'll give Mr. Manoso his shot. You can go in, once I come out."

"How are you holding up? Carlos isn't an easy man, especially when he's in a compromised position."

"He didn't let me out of his sight for the first day, but he's doing better now. I'm tired, but I'm ok." "Thanks for asking," I added, my 'Burg manners coming into play.

"You can go in now," his nurse said, coming out of the Carlos' room with the empty syringe plunger in her hand.

"How are you Manoso?" McHugh greeted Carlos.

"Major, what are you doing here? Sit down."

"I told you I'd be back." He then told Carlos what he told me about Azzopardi and the date for the Article 32.

"Two weeks is a long time, I'm surprised the arraignment is that far off, but I'm not surprised Devon turned down your safe house offer. He has a lot of work to do between now and then. Rangman will watch his back as well as that of Furguson and their associates. Actually Rangeman's going to be spread pretty thin over the next few weeks. You knew Captain David White, didn't you Major?"

"Knew? What's happened to him?"

"I'm sorry, wrong choice of words. He's working with the CIA now. SOG."

"Yes, I know him. He's a good guy, or at least he was. I don't trust too many people within SAD. Briggs seems to have some sort of control over that division."

Carlos then told him everything, from the fake allies within SAD to our agreeing to help catch Briggs in the act.

"We could use a little help with the border patrol, you have any men to spare?" Carlos asked.

"You know I can't involve the military in a government agency. Let White handle it. It sounds like he's close. I want to stop in and see Sherman. Let me know what happens. And stay in touch."

They shook hands like normal people and McHugh left to go next door.

After dinner Hector was back, smiling like a banshee. I noticed his tats were covered. Guessed he had the DermaBlend with him after all. "Are you covered up for a reason?"

"I needed an ID picture and I just left it on. Here take a look."

I didn't have David's papers to compare these to, but they looked awfully official to me. "How did you get these so fast?"

"Hal just made the 5:30 courier. It was here before 6:30. If it weren't so close to seven, I'd try to get in tonight. But the Pentagon is huge and I'm not sure where Briggs' office is located."

"He's in the 'E' ring," I said, remembering that senior officials had the outside ring with the windows. Third floor, I think I remember."

"Pretty good Babe. It _is_ the third floor, 'E' ring."

"I be back," Hector said. "I want to try out my new identity. I may not get any bugs in place, but I want to get in."

Manny was out tailing Briggs' kid and Hector was breaking into the Pentagon. You couldn't make this stuff up. All we could do was wait. I mean, really, that's all we _could_ do.

I could tell that Carlos was in pain again. I guessed the shot wore off. "Carlos, do you need another shot? You did PT twice and walked back and forth to Tank's room a number of times today."

"I'm ok for now Babe; just lay with me. I want to feel you close."

"Hector and Manny will be back."

"I just want to feel you next to me. Please come here Babe."

He used the magic word, so against my better judgment I very carefully eased myself in next to him and brought the covers over both of us. He got onto his good side and wrapped his arms around me. He was right, it felt so good to be close to him.

"Mmmm, Babe, we need to lose this," he said unhooking my bra and slipping it off my shoulders under my T-shirt. I've never been good at getting out of underwear under clothing, it just got all discombobulated, but Carlos managed to get it off. He had his hands on my breasts, his lips on my neck and he was murmuring to me in Spanish.

Snuggling doesn't get much better than this and pretty soon he had me all turned on, and most of my clothes gone. "Carlos, you're making me crazy. Hector's going to be back."

"Mmmm. So?"

"Carlos he can't catch us like this."

"Like what Babe? We aren't doing anything."

"You have me pretty much undressed under here."

"Mmmm. But you feel so good," he whispered and pulled me back to him just enough so I could feel just how good I made him feel.

"Turn around Babe, I want to look at you."

I turned to face him and he kissed me. It started soft, his lips to mine. Gentle, loving. There was no mistaking that this man loved me. And I loved him.

Carlos' kisses got more demanding. His tongue was seeking entrance to my mouth. His hands were on my ass and then his dick was seeking entrance to my vagina.

I was very apprehensive about having sex in this bed right now; Hector promised he'd be back. My take on it was that Carlos didn't care. Hector, Manny, Tank, Cal or Ram could walk in right now and he wouldn't care. I was his woman and we were together, in whatever way that played itself out at the moment. We could be intimate, we could just be kissing; I don't think it would have mattered. Carlos just wanted to be with me.

Part of me loved this aspect, yet a bigger part of me didn't want someone walking in and finding us doing it.

But Carlos won out. He can be very persistent when he wants to, his hands knowing just where to go, his mouth taking mine. And oh God, when he slipped into me I melted. He just felt so good. He filled me. He was big and he hit me in all the right places and I was powerless to stop what was happening. Especially when we moved as one. God I needed to come.

It didn't take much; perhaps it was all that cuddling. A couple of well placed moves on Carlos' part and I was shuddering. "Oh God, Carlos," I finally let out, coming loudly. Probably louder than I wanted to for being in a hospital bed. Carlos pumped into me a few more times and I felt him explode into me; just after I came again with another "God."

"Mmmm. Babe," he whispered, his control much more evident than mine. "Tú eres tan bella."

"You're pretty beautiful yourself," I said, guessing at what he was saying and knowing the word bella from Italian.

We were both basking in afterglow and Carlos was kissing me lovingly when there was a knock on our door. Glad someone knocked; usually they just barged in. I put my T-shirt back over my head and as long as we kept the covers on no one would know I was naked.

Carlos looked at me to make sure I was ok. I nodded yes, and he bade our visitor entrance. It was Cal.

"Oh God, you two," he said walking into the room. "Should I come back?"

"What's up?" Carlos asked, not answering his question.

"I just wanted to let you know Ram and I are on duty. Manny filled us in on the events of the day and we thought we should provide coverage to the three of you. So instead of being outside your door, I'm going to take up residence outside of Jason's door. Ram is outside of Tank's; we've got you covered."

"Thank you. I'm sorry I didn't think of that myself."

"Yeah, well it seems you had other things on your mind," he said, smirking at us.

"Any word from Hector?" I asked realizing it was eight o'clock if Ram and Cal were coming on duty.

"Not yet. He probably saw a window of opportunity and is installing cameras and bugs. He's the last person I would ever worry about getting caught. He'll be back when he's done."

When Cal left I got up and took a quick shower in Carlos' bathroom. I brought out the basin and a washcloth for Carlos to clean up too. I didn't think he should tax his leg any further today by standing on it in a shower. And I was pretty sure his bandages weren't waterproof.

After I put the basin back I helped him get into the gown we had been using as a robe. I felt pretty good that no one caught us, well except for Cal. And he _always_ seemed to catch us doing something.

"Carlos, do you need another shot?" I asked, once all evidence of our little half an hour of fun was hidden.

"No Babe, I'm good. Orgasms are natural pain relievers."

I just looked at him and he went on. "Oxytocin is a natural chemical in the body. It surges before and during climax and it acts as a pretty potent painkiller. I should be ok for another few hours. The oxytocin surge can even help wounds heal faster. Don't look at me like that; I'm not making this up. They should have 'do not disturb' signs for the doors and let all patients have their mates stay with them. We'd all get out of here faster."

I didn't know if he was bullshitting me or not, but knowing Carlos, it was probably true.

"Google oxytocin if you don't believe me."

I did, just for the fun of it. And there it was in black and white. I'd never doubt him again. "Carlos, they call it the 'love hormone,'" I said, reading further.

"Ummm, so how do you feel about me Babe?"

"What do you mean? I love you, of course."

"See."

"Jeez. You're crazy. You know that right?"

"I love you too, Babe."

While we were playing around with each other in our crazy, joking fashion, there was another knock on our door. I guessed everyone had manners today. It was Hector.

"I get in," he said, smiling broadly. "And I get out after eight," he said, thoroughly satisfied with himself.

"Did you plant cameras and bugs?" I asked.

"I take pictures of his office from all angles. I copy the content of his laptop and I plant a virus that will alert us to all laptop activity. I wanted to think about the best place to put cameras and bugs, so I bring back pictures to go over with you, Tank and Bobby."


	14. Chapter 14 — Seals, Bugs and Leatherette

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for Beta-ing my story and deeming this chapter good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :)**

**Thank you Dana **and **trhodes9 **for your sharing your knowledge of things I wasn't too familiar with. Much appreciated.

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 14 — Seals, bugs and leatherette**

"Carlos what's going on out there?" I asked. "It sounds like a leaf blower coming this way." It got even louder before Tank and Lula appeared in our doorway.

"I was going crazy laying there, they gave me this portable VAC so I can walk around," Tank said, coming into the room first.

"God is it always that loud? You'll never be able to do any kind of surveillance with that machine," I said with my hands over my ears.

"This is an old model, it's not the one I'm going home with, but it is loud, isn't it? I guess I got used to the constant vacuum sound. I don't even hear it."

"I'm gonna have to get some sound-attenuating headphones." Lula said, "I hear they can cancel out a jet engine. Tankie's almost there."

Poor Tank. Now that he's finally up and around everyone was making fun of him.

"So what brings you here, man?" Carlos asked.

"I understand Hector has pictures of Briggs' office and we're having a conference call."

"I don't want to spoil your fun, but we won't be able to hear anything with that racket your machine produces. Can you attach yourself to the old machine and we'll come to you?" Carlos asked.

Tank looked deflated.

"I can turn it off for the call. You don't understand how crazy I was going looking at those same four walls. This is my freedom."

There was another knock on our door and Manny, Hector and Jason strolled in. Well that wasn't quite right; Jason walkered in.

"Cal and Ram said they're coming here too, so the only ones we'll have to conference in are Bobby and Lester," Manny announced. "Man you're going to have to lower the volume on that thing, I can't hear myself think."

"Ok, ok, I'll turn it off once we make the call."

Thankfully for my ears Ram and Cal showed up a few seconds later.

I told Stefan and Angelo who were outside, that we couldn't be disturbed and I shut the door. Tank turned off his portable windstorm and Carlos called Rangeman's general number so that the call could be scrambled.

Bobby and Lester were ready for us in one of the conference rooms so everyone was able to talk freely.

"I already emailed Bobby and Santos the camera angles," Hector began. "I'm going to project them onto the wall here so we are all looking at them big. I went over them a couple of times last night and I have some ideas."

Once we had the first image projected on the wall opposite Carlos' bed, Hector spoke again.

"His desk faces the window. He has eastern exposure, so the sun comes in until around noon. I don't want the sun to blanch out anyting, so I want to mount one micro cam onto the top of the window frame, here." Hector said, pointing to the window. "Both are black, it will be invisible.

"He has a ton of wires on his desk for his computer. I never like to use commercial spy cams, but I think an AC adapter cam could work really well here. See he already has one; I just swap it out. I can get an up-close wide angle from there," Hector said, pointing to another shot of the room.

"I already put a bug into his computer and swapped out the switchhook on his landline, so we will hear both sides of a conversation clearly. I tink I want to put a few dust bugs in the room, they undetectable with a sweep as they run on my frequency. Any other ideas?"

Lester answered from Trenton. "I don't like using commercial spy cams either, but I do see why you're recommending it. Is there time to get another Dell adaptor and wire it ourselves? If it's something he stares at when he's working he'd notice the missing logo."

"Sí, I thought of that too. I thought I could tilt it in the other direction, but you're right. Sí, there is time to do it the right way."

"So you're going back in there tonight?" Bobby asked.

"Sí, White's picking me up at 4:30. He not know I already been there and I tink I want to keep it that way. The less people know I can get in and out undetected, the better."

Hector can break into the Pentagon. That was unbelievable to me. I had to ask him.

"Didn't you use your LX and SCI clearance papers to get in? You spent all that time creating them."

"Sí, I used them to get in. Everyone is clocked in and out, so fifteen minutes later I clocked out and got myself back in."

I wasn't going to ask how; obviously Hector disabled something. The more I got to know Hector, the more blown away I was with what he could accomplish. I was sure Carlos, Tank, Bobby and Les saw this too. I hoped now that his English was getting better, they'd consider making him part of the core team. He deserved it.

I was kind of in my own world promoting Hector when I heard Carlos speak. "Manny, were you able to get a bead on Briggs' son?"

"Yeah. He goes to Georgetown and tends bar at night. The place closes up at 2 am, so he's just getting home around 2:30. I threw a bug in his bag, but I want to follow him again tonight to see if he keeps the same pattern. Steph, I think we could use you to keep him there longer so Hector can get in and out of his house. Do you have any plans for tomorrow night?"

"Happy to help, but if you want me looking sexy, I'll have to go shopping. I wasn't planning on doing any distraction jobs and unfortunately, jeans, black chucks and a T-shirt aren't all that appealing."

"Hector and I can take you to the mall."

"Do you need me too?" Lula asked.

"I think Steph on her own at the bar at 2 am might be enough of a distraction, but we'd like you with us for backup in case we need it. Tank, Ranger, you guys good with this?"

They both nodded ok, which made me feel better and Lula and I were going shopping. Yay…freedom. I was getting out of this room, even if it was only for a few hours.

"There's a Best Buy in the mall. Google says that or Walmart are the best places to get a Dell AC adaptor. Steph, Lula, can you guys be ready to go in about a half an hour? I want to get back by noon to put together what I need for tonight," Hector said, closing his iPad and grinning.

I could tell; Briggs was _so_ going down.

Everyone left and I put on some mascara. I was good to go. Lula came into Carlos' room a few minutes later, looking just like she did ten minutes ago. I guessed neither of us had much else with us to wear. Victoria's Secret here we come—and best of all, Rangeman was paying.

Hector had been to the mall with me before, but poor Manny didn't know what hit him. We went from Bebe to BCBGMAX to Victoria's Secret to Steve Madden and even stopped at the Gap. I found a teeny, tiny pair of black faux-leather shorts, an open stitched crochet sweater that hit just above below my navel and exposed a shoulder and a pink Add-2-Cups bra that gave me _lots_ of cleavage and peeped through the sweater. I paired it with 4" studded pumps from Steve Madden and I was perfect.

Lula found a leather peplum corset top that showed off _all_ of her assets, a leather mini skirt and 4" thigh-high platform boots. She walked out of the dressing room to show me and Manny almost fell over, she was all leather and boobs. If we couldn't distract this poor guy, no one could.

"I may have to rethink my 'woman alone' idea, Lula looks too good," I overheard Manny say to Hector.

"We haven't seen Estefania yet, she didn't come out to show us. Chica want to show us your outfit?"

What the hell. I went back into the dressing room and put on all my purchases. I looked at myself in the mirror. God was I a slut.

"I don't know if this is a good idea, guys," I said as I came out. "Maybe I ought to get something a little less revealing. Carlos is going to go ape shit."

"Damn. You look hot," Manny and Hector said almost at the same time.

Lula came out of dressing room to see what all the commotion was about. "Now that's what I call a distraction. You're the shit."

My Rangeman black American Express card paid for everything. The guys took our bags from us and we all went with Hector to get his adaptor. It was fun being out.

"I think I need some makeup," I said as we passed Nordstrom's. I don't have any lipstick or blush with me. I'll just be a few minutes," I said as we all traipsed in. They weren't letting me go anywhere on my own.

Lula and I found some great colors of lipstick and I got a blush and another tube of mascara in case I was running low. Too bad we had to wait until tomorrow night. I was ready to go now.

We drove back to the hospital in silence. I guessed we were all talked out. Hector took the south elevator to go back to his room and the three of us went north and took the elevator back up to Carlos and Tank on nine.

"Babe are you going to show me your distraction outfit?" Carlos asked when I came into his room with Manny and the packages.

"Uh, maybe tomorrow."

"Babe?"

"There's not much to show," Manny said in my defense. Well maybe not, now that I think about his choice of words.

"Manny's seen you, but you won't show me?"

"Ok, ok." I went into the bathroom to change again.

I came out and Manny was still in the room with Carlos. I had left the shoes by his bed and as I bent down to get them for the full effect I heard Manny mumble, "Oh God."

I wondered what he was 'Oh God-ing' when I remembered my 'add-two-cups' bra. Guessed I gave him an eyeful.

"So what do you think Carlos?" I asked, stepping into the shoes.

"I think I'm going to be the one to wire you up, but I like it. You seem to have that jezebel look down."

"You should see Lula," I added.

"You can't _miss_ Lula," Manny moaned. "She was _spilling_ over. I think I'd like to use the two of you after all. That poor man won't know what hit him."

Carlos was laughing. I guessed he was thinking about the seventy-pounds heavier Lula and some of her old ho outfits. I wondered what happened to them all? Some were museum-worthy.

"I'll see you later," Manny said looking at his watch. "Briggs' son's classes are over for the day, I want to see what he does in his spare time."

"Did Hector get everything he needed?" Carlos asked after Manny left and I changed back into plain-old Stephanie.

"All he picked up was a Dell adaptor, I guess he has everything else he needs with him."

"Dust bugs don't take up much space. He probably has them and some micro cameras in his laptop bag. It'll be interesting to see what we catch on film.

"Babe, Tank and I are talking about getting out of here the day after tomorrow. We'll get a plane back to Trenton, but we'll keep Stefan and Angelo and Ram and Cal on duty to make it look like we're still here and to keep Jason safe. Unfortunately we both have a lot of healing left to do. I'd like to stay at our house in Belmar, is that ok with you?"

"I have class. Although it's only an hour each way…I guess I can drive it."

"I want you with me. You only have a couple of classes left and then you have to take your final exam. I was thinking we could have Antonio and Marcia come out to our house for your last few classes. Tank and Lula are planning on staying at the shore too."

"That's ok with me, but what about Hector? He needs those last few classes to graduate as much as we do."

"He's welcome to stay over, it's only a few days. You can ask him, or I can. Maybe he and Miguel will want to take a mini-vacation. They can have the apartment if they want more privacy, although I think the other wing in our house is nicer."

"I'll ask him. But Miguel always seems so busy; they have to schedule dates way in advance. It might be just Hector."

I thought about Hector and Miguel and my spidey sense thought a few days of them together might be a good thing. I hoped Hector would be up for it and Miguel would be able to commit the time.

Carlos was just beginning to understand relationships—ours first, but everyone else's too. He was beginning to see that they were important for all his men's growth. The guys weren't kids in the army anymore. They were men thinking about their futures.

He and Tank were already in committed ones. Looked like Bobby and Manny were too. Ram and Lester were each in love—well maybe with Lester it was more like a hard like. He was such a playboy; that part of him would be slow to change.

My mental musings about the guys were disrupted by Carlos' nurse coming into the room, "I've gotten permission from your surgeon to use the eicosanoid on your surgical site. I hope to see it do as good a job on that as it has on your shrapnel wounds. You're making amazing progress."

"Sherman and I were hoping to leave here day after tomorrow. Will I need a nurse to apply the salve or is it something can Stephanie do?" Carlos asked her.

"You can't get a prescription for this stuff. The FDA hasn't approved it for use on open wounds, although it's been used with much success in Europe for a while. I was hoping, you, Mr. Sherman and Mr. Wright would be able to stay on for a few more days to get the maximum benefit from it."

"What is it prescribed for in the U.S.?"

"Unfortunately it isn't prescribed at all. It's being used in cancer research and open sore drug trial in a few test groups. Maybe we can get the three of you into one of the trials. I can look into it for you."

"Can't you just give each of us a tube to take home, you seem to have it here?"

"That would be illegal. But if you were to _accidently_ pick up a tube that someone left here and it _accidently_ made it's way into your fiancé's purse, well. I'm just saying."

"How many accidents can we have?"

"I'd say just one; although one tube is more than enough for the three of you. But you didn't hear this from me," his nurse said, leaving the tube on Carlos' side table and walking out of his room.

Of course, I did as she _accidently_ suggested. I picked it up and put it into my purse.

"Are you and Tank leaving Jason here to heal on his own? Or will we somehow need to share our accident with him?"

"It's up to him. As you remember he checked out with flying colors, so Tank and I just offered him a job at Rangeman. He has yet to give us an answer. We could always use a good man like him. I suppose if he accepted he'd have to go back to Washington State to sort out his affairs, but I'm hoping to catch Briggs first."

Carlos was answering questions, so I figured now was the time to ask a few more. "I know you switched over leadership to Bobby and Lester while you guys were doing your hard labor, are you switching that back to you now?"

"It's really always been me; they just assumed the position while I was out of commission. I'm still out of commission, so I'd like to keep it as it is until I'm pretty well healed. I think they've been doing a pretty good job."

"I guess. Except for the Vinnie thing. I still don't think that was handled with a lot of thought. Who in their right mind would write a bail bond on a psycho?"

"I've made mistakes too. It's human nature. They never anticipated he would go for you, or for Lester for that matter. Unfortunately Mary Alice and Autumn were the victims. How do you think Lester must feel? It's almost like ordering a hit on your own girlfriend."

I never thought about it that way. No wonder he took so much time off to be with her after her surgery. Suddenly I missed him and his smart-ass mouth. I picked up my phone and sent him a text:

STEPHPLUM: "How R U? How's Autumn?"

LESTER: "Hey Beautiful. What's up?"

STEPHPLUM: "Just saying hi. How's Autumn?"

LESTER: "She's ok, she's healing well. She got into a trial group for this new wound stuff and she's healing really fast."

STEPHPLUM: "EYE-KAH-SAN-OID?"

LESTER: "What?"

STEPHPLUM: "I don't know how to spell it, that's how you say it. Is that the drug Autumn is on? Carlos and Tank are on it too—it's amazing stuff."

LESTER: "I think that's it."

STEPHPLUM: "The guys are coming home day after tomorrow."

LESTER: "Trenton?"

STEPHPLUM: "The shore. Come out and visit. I miss U. Bring Autumn."

LESTER: "I miss U 2. We'll come see U. Gotta go. We're busy."

STEPHPLUM: "K, bye."

"Who are you talking to Babe?"

"Lester. Autumn is in one of those test groups your nurse mentioned for eicosanoid. He said she's healing fast."

"If Rangeman got her in, we could get in too. But I guess we won't have to now. You seemed to have accidently found all we'll need."

"Shouldn't David be here soon to pick up Hector for their rendezvous?"

"What time is it?"

"It's twenty after four."

"They're both punctual. He'll be here."

Speaking of the devil, Hector knocked on our door. "Ok, I come in?"

"Of course Hector. Why not?" I asked.

"Cal told me to knock from now on," he said with a huge grin on his face.

"Yeah, well Cal seems to have a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. And besides we weren't doing anything. Jeez, you guys." And to move the subject away from Carlos and my sex life I added, "Were you able to make the Dell adaptor work? Can I see it?"

Hector reached into his laptop bag and took out a perfect replica of a Dell AC adaptor. Of course we both knew it wasn't _exactly_ an AC adaptor, but it looked really genuine.

"And the camera works?"

"Sí. I didn't want to do anyting obvious, so I put the camera here to look like a barrel jack. You would never know."

"That's a micro camera?"

"Sí, looks just like the cord with the barrel jack in place."

"And does it still work as an adaptor, what if he turns on his laptop, will it work?"

"Sí, it still work, there is just one extra connector. With that mess of wires on his desk, he never see it. Trust me."

"You're brilliant Hector," I said and gave him a big kiss on the cheek.

There was another knock on our door; it was David White. "Hi guys. Hector were you able to make the clearance papers?"

"Sí, take a look, Hector said, taking them out of his wallet to show David."

"This is the real paper, how did you get this?" he asked looking closely at the watermark and feeling the texture of the paper the LX and CSI clearance was printed on. Hector just smiled and handed him his ID.

"I'm not sure I want to know how you did this. That looks like an authentic seal."

"Sí, authentic fake. Compare to yours."

David took his ID and clearance papers out of his wallet and put then next to Hector's for comparison. He didn't say a word, he just handed the papers back to Hector and put his away. Obviously he didn't know who he was dealing with.


	15. Chapter 15 — Old Friends

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for Beta-ing my story and deeming this chapter good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :)**

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 15 — Old Friends**

"Are you sure I look young enough Carlos? He's 22 and I'm 33. He doesn't seem to be a 'Mrs. Robinson' kind of guy."

"How do you know Babe? We don't have a lot of intel on him; just what Manny's been able to pick up over the last few days. He's a horny college kid. If you're female and you seem to be interested in him, he'll be interested in you. And once Lula joins the party, the poor guy won't know what hit him. I just hope his sense of duty isn't as strong as his father's."

"What do you mean by that?"

"He's supposed to close up the bar at 2 am."

"I think Manny has a plan for that too, he wouldn't leave a big gap like that not thought out. He'll either tell us before we go, or he'll let it play it out as it happens. I trust his judgment; every time we ever worked together he had a plan in place."

"Have you spoken to Hector yet today? I wonder how it went with White last night."

"No not yet. I think he was going to check out Briggs' house after he was done with his office. And knowing Hector, if he saw a window of opportunity he went for it."

I heard the windstorm in the hallway again, "Here comes Tank. I thought they were going to find him a less noisy portable VAC?"

"To go home with. I think he's stuck with this one while he's here."

"I know I'm loud, but staring at those same four walls was driving me up a wall, I had to get out and go for a walk. Lula's playing around with makeup for your distraction later," Tank said, coming into Carlos' room and almost deafening us once again.

"Can you turn that off to talk?" I asked, hoping we'd get a little relief.

"The longer I keep it on, the faster I'll heal, but hell, I can't even hear myself think," he said, shutting off the offending machine and sitting down.

"You ready to go back tomorrow, man?" Tank asked Carlos.

"I'm not released from physical therapy yet, but I'm hoping for that today and Stephanie _found_ some of the French stuff for us."

"Aren't we going home with prescriptions?"

"You can't get one for that, it's not FDA approved, although Lester's girlfriend Autumn seems to be part of a drug trial for it. I'm glad Rangeman was able to pull some strings and get her in. Bullet wounds are not pretty scars so hopefully between the plastic surgery and the eicosanoid she won't scar at all."

"Lester seems to like her, they've been going out for close to two months," Tank said to Carlos, the gossiping Rangemen at it again.

"For Lester that's a long time. The most I've ever known him to see a woman was a couple of weeks. I'm not sure why he gets disillusioned so quickly."

"Maybe he's very demanding," I suggested and they both looked at me, taking in the thought.

"Demanding how?"

"I don't know. In bed perhaps, in the way his woman dresses, in who her friends are. He seems to want Ms. Perfect."

"Autumn is certainly beautiful," Tank responded. "And she's got expensive taste in clothing. I'm not sure who her friends are, but if she's a celebrity chef, I'll bet she has celebrity friends. And as for in bed, I'm not even going there."

"And she has an identical twin sister," I added. Again they both looked at me. "Isn't that supposed to be some guy fantasy, you know, the Japanese twins."

"She's not Japanese?"

"Yeah but she's a twin. Look…forget I brought it up."

There was a knock on our door and Hector walked in. "I heard Tank's voice, so I knew it was safe to come in," he said.

Our conversation had already gone south so not even thinking about it I answered Hector with, "What if we were having a menage a trois?"

Hector didn't miss a beat, "I guess I would have jumped in, or at least watched. Not often I get to see my three favorite people romping around. But seriously, I came here to let you know the cameras in Briggs' office are sending in pictures."

That got everyone's attention. "Did you pick up anything good?" I asked.

"Just that he's been surfing the web?"

"Interesting sites?"

"He googled your name Tank."

"Shit. I've never googled myself. Do you know what came up?"

"I have a print out. Do you still have family in Biloxi? If you do, I'd tink we should get security on them right away. He seemed very interested in that information. He even did a search on Biloxi."

"Just my grandmother. My mother couldn't convince her to move with them to Florida."

"I tink we should order security. Biloxi is a coastal town. I still not know what his association is with border patrol, but I not willing to take a chance. Would your grandmother come up north for a visit?"

"Maybe she could stay with you and Lula?" I suggested.

"I'll call her. But I don't want to scare her. She's old and frail." Hearing Tank say that kind of threw me for a loop. It was hard for me to see _anyone_ in Tank's family being frail.

"Estefania, can you run a search on Border Patrol personnel? See if you can find anyone associated with Briggs."

"I can start on that right now. If Lula can help we can get this done quicker. I'll go next door and ask her."

Stefan and Angelo were on duty again. I pointed next door and Angelo nodded. It seemed to me that they should be monitoring who comes _into_ the guys rooms, not me leaving.

"Knock, knock," I said before entering. Lula had a magnifying mirror sitting on top of a tissue box that was on its side to make it taller and she was busy doing something to one eye. "What are you doing Lula?"

"I take this distracting shit seriously. I'm trying for a new look. Which eye do you like better?" she asked, one eye done up like Cleopatra, the other sporting at least an inch of false eyelash.

"I like the thick liner with the tails. It looks more exotic. Want to help me with a search?"

"Sure, who are we searching?"

I told Lula while she pulled the fake eyelash off the eye we deemed 'the loser' and went into the bathroom to remove the glue and whatever else she had on that eye.

"Ok. We should probably work together like we did last time so we're not doing duplicate work. I can bring my laptop into you. Just give me five minutes to even out my eyes."

"Ok, I'm going back next door. I'm pretty sure we have a few hours before we need to get ready. I don't think we're leaving until eleven."

"Is Tankie in with Ranger? I stopped hearing his noise machine."

Yeah, he's in there with Carlos and Hector. He turned off his VAC so they could talk. Briggs googled Tank."

"No shit? And?"

"His grandmother in Biloxi might be a target."

"What did Tank say?"

"Hector asked if she could come up and stay with you and he said he'd call her. He says she's old and frail. I just can't imagine any relation of Tank's being frail."

"I'd like to meet her. Tank seems distant from everyone in his family except for his sister and his grandmother. Of course she can stay with us. I wouldn't be the one to nix that. Just saying." She said making light of a not too light situation.

I went back next-door and Manny had joined the guys. They were telling him about Briggs' surfing, which was old news to me now. I wanted to know if Hector got into Briggs' house and if we were still needed to occupy his son's time tonight.

When there seemed to be a natural break in the conversation, I went for it. "Hector, were you able to get into Briggs' house last night?"

"Sí, but I just looked around. I only put one bug on their landline. I know where he keeps his cell phones now and I have a mental picture of the house. He had a locked office. I want to snoop in there tonight. I opened it and did a quick search. I didn't see any reason for it being locked, so I want to look closer."

"Will you need extra time? Do you want Lula and I to try to take him to an after-hours club or something?"

"I tink we be ok if you can keep him busy until around 2:30. I get a lot done in a half an hour. I do phones and cameras first. I snoop second. If it gets too late, I come back to snoop again."

Good we were on. I'd been psyched for this since we went shopping yesterday. Lula came in with her laptop, both eyes done up Cleopatra-style. "Did I miss anything?"

"No, we're still on, and Hector paid Briggs' a short visit last night."

Lula and I ran searches on all border patrol personnel and we were just starting to run them against Briggs when Manny came back.

"Briggs' son didn't show up for his classes today."

"Are you sure he has classes today? I think I had a free day my senior year," I chimed in.

"Yeah, I got his schedule online. He had classes till four. I drove by his house and his car was parked in the driveway."

"Maybe he's sick? I hope he's not sick enough to stay home from work tonight," Lula suggested.

"How will we know? What time does he usually start tending bar?"

"He comes on at 6. Cal and Ram are watching the house and will let us know if he leaves. I'll head out to the bar around 6:30 to see if he's there. If he's not, we'll have to reschedule this. I don't even want Hector to attempt going in while his son is home. It could be too dangerous. The kid is used to keeping late hours, he won't be asleep."

Shit. We had planned on going home tomorrow. Well if we had to stay an extra day, that wouldn't be the end of the world. Carlos could get another day of physical therapy and the guys could all get the miracle salve.

"Ok, let us know, we won't even start to get ready until we hear from you."

If nothing else, it would give Lula and I extra time to cross-reference our searches. So far neither one of us had picked up on any direct link to Briggs.

After dinner, I got a text from Hector:

HECTOR: "Just heard from Cal. Briggs' son left the house. They follow him."

STEPHPLUM: "KK Thnx. Did Manny go to the bar?"

HECTOR: "2 early. He never gets there until almost 6."

STEPHPLUM: "K, keep us in the loop."

I told Carlos what Manny said.

"Maybe he just took the day off. If he left the house he can't be that sick."

"Or he was going to the doctor. Cal will let us know."

A little before six, I got another text from Hector:

HECTOR: "He's at work, UR on."

I ran next door to let Lula know. Of course Stefan and Angelo got all excited because I was in such a hurry I didn't point before I ran. Wondered what they'd do, shoot me?

"Steph, everything ok?" I heard Angelo say behind me as I barged into Tank's room.

"Yes. Sorry. In a hurry," I yelled back.

"We're on Lula," I told her, slightly out of breath from my sprint next door. "Any luck with the data merges?"

"Not yet. I'm just going to let it run and look at it in the morning. I'll be ready to leave by 10:30. We're going to look so fucking fine, he won't know what hit him," Lula said puffing up her chest to enhance her statement.

I decided to give myself a full two-hours for hair and makeup. If I couldn't turn myself into a total tart in that amount of time, it just wasn't going to happen.

I steamed my face first, and gave myself a mini facial using what I had with me, my super extra-special Mr. Alexander conditioner. Hey, a hydrating mask is a hydrating mask, right? Once I got my skin all glowy, I spent some time with my hair and got it to look shiny and hanging in soft curls.

Then I went for the makeup. First things first; I got out the makeup mirror and tweezers and I plucked all those extra eyebrow hairs that seem to grow wild in just a week's time. Then I put on foundation, dabbing a little concealer where needed. I lined my eyes. Not quite as exotic as Lula's but I thought I did a good job for a clutz. I put on two coats of mascara next. I'd add more later if they needed it. Finally, well finally for the eyes anyway, I added a little eyebrow pencil to darken my brows and fill in my over-zealous tweezing.

I was glad we stopped and got additional makeup. I used the cream blush to enhance my cheekbones and them dusted over that with the powder blush. I lined my lips and added lipstick.

Carlos wasn't paying attention after I started tweezing, so when I turned around to show him the finished product, sans clothes, he looked startled.

"Babe, you look amazing."

"Tarty, enough?"

"Do you have any hair clips? I think if you pin your hair up a little and let these front pieces fall down messily, you'll take it over the top."

"Let me get dressed first."

I put on everything I bought and sashayed out of the bathroom, runway style to show Carlos.

"Manny is _not_ miking you."

"Jealous, Carlos?"

He didn't answer my question and changed the subject. "I wish I could come along to see this. That poor man isn't going to know what hit him."

I looked down at my nails and realized I didn't have any nail polish to complete the look. "I have to go next door to Lula for a minute. I need nail polish. I'll be right back."

The changing of the guard happened at eight, so Cal and Ram were on duty now. Today Ram was outside our door. As I ran past to get polish, he stopped me. "Bomber, let me see this look?"

I stopped, and did a 360º rotation for him and Cal to get the full-effect.

I got wolf-whistles from both of them. Lula stepped out to see what was going on.

"Whoa, Lula, come on out," Ram said. "Give us old guys the show."

"Your ass I look good," she said, stepping into the hall with her hands on her hips to more wolf-whistles.

"Holy shit," Cal said, "you're all boobs and leather."

"Mmm hmm. Can we distract or what?" she said wiggling her ass on purpose.

I then asked Lula if she had nail polish and she dragged me inside.

Tank looked up from his magazine, "Bomber? Shit, you and Lula could give a guy a heart attack."

"Yeah, maybe, but I need nail polish."

Lula showed me her two polish colors and I chose the brighter of the two. She said she'd do them for me and sat me down.

"Girlfriend sit still. I don't have anything to dry them quicker, so you're just gonna have to sit here for ten minutes.

Once my drying time was up, I went back to Carlos to show him the color and pin my hair up like he suggested. I added big hoop earrings that I happened to have with me, and I was done.

Manny came in, as I was adding my earrings. My back was to him so he had yet to see me. He was carrying the wires for Lula and I to wear as precautionary measures and when I turned around to say hi, he dropped everything.

"Holy shit, Bomber. Cal texted me that you and Lula looked good, but I wasn't expecting this." "Holy shit," he said again.

"I'll wire her," Carlos added emphatically before Manny even had a chance to recover and pick up his wires.

"Oh man Ranger, you're ruining all my fun," he said with a huge smile on his face as he handed over one of the sets of mikes.

"I don't know if you'll be able to find a place to put a wire on Lula," I added as he left to go next door. I guess he'd find out for himself.

Carlos took a little extra time taping the wire to my newly enhanced cleavage. He just ran a couple of fingers over my breast seductively and I was all turned on.

"Carlos," I said, not being able to say much more. Although I was sure he could tell from my dilated pupils what he was doing to me.

"Mmm, Babe," he said pulling me close and kissing me. "This is just a little last minute lesson in the laws of physics."

I could tell by what I was feeling against me that he was thoroughly enjoying this too. This wasn't about actions and reactions; this was about slightly jealous Carlos marking his territory. Yum.

Manny came back while we were kissing.

"Oh God, guys," he said, turning around. Carlos kissing me in front of his men wasn't anything new. Well perhaps Carlos kissing the newly tarted-up Stephanie was something he hadn't seen before. But I doubted that too. I'd done distractions with the guys enough and I was pretty sure Carlos had pulled me in close for a kiss or two before setting me loose back then. Maybe I did a better job when I was a little turned on.

"Just wanted to let you know that Tank got Lula wired and we're ready to leave," Manny tried again from the doorway.

"OK, I'm good, just let me grab my purse." I looked down at my hand and realized I still had my engagement ring on, so I took it off and gave it to Carlos, "Hold this for me?" I kissed him goodbye once more, this time chastely.

"I have a surprise for you around one-thirty," Manny said, coming into the room now that it was safe and doing a wonderful imitation of a Lester eyebrow waggle.

"What? Tell me."

"Nope. But you'll know it when you see it. Don't worry, it'll only help keep Briggs' kid at the bar longer."

"Manny, you can't bring something like that up and not tell me."

He turned and winked at Carlos. "We'll see you somewhere around 3 am."

"Have fun Babe," Carlos said grinning, obviously in on the joke. He was going to go down too.

It wasn't a very far ride to the bar where Brigg's son worked and Manny gave us instructions while we drove. I was to sit at the bar and order something while I waited for my girlfriend to show up. I was to engage the junior Brigg's in some light conversation and make him feel at ease. Easy. Lula would come in around 1:15. He wanted Lula to be loud and brassy.

"I can do loud and brassy, with the best of them," Lula said. "Just you wait. I'll be so brassy, he won't know what hit him."

"Well you only need to be almost obnoxious until 1:30, when two people will join you at the bar and try to pick you up."

"Tankie and Carlos?" Lula asked.

"No, but you know them, so don't worry. You can hug and kiss them all you want, it'll only make for an easier distraction."

"Ok," I said. "I need to know who I'm hugging and kissing. Ram and Cal? Angelo and Stefan?"

"No."

"No, not them, or no you're not telling me?"

"No to both. Just play this by ear. The spontaneity of it will work, trust me."

Ok, I don't do secrets well and Manny was starting to piss me off. Who the fuck was going to show up at 1:30 that I would spontaneously kiss?"

Suddenly I knew who it was. It was Manny's imitation that gave it away. Lester.

"It's Lester and Bobby, right?"

"Not saying."

"Manny, I guessed fair and square, answer me or I'm not going in there and Lester and Bobby can try to distract mini-Briggs all by themselves."

"Ok, ok Bomber, no need to get upset. We really need you to do this. Yes, it's who you think. I'm hoping the distraction Lester and Bobby will make when they show up unexpectedly will keep Briggs there longer. He's not going to break up such a happy reunion because it's closing time."

I was doing a happy dance. Somehow I guessed it. Carlos was going down too.

He knew and didn't tell me.

We did a quick sound check to make sure the mikes were working then Manny dropped me off. I didn't know what Briggs' son looked like, but there was only one person tending bar, so I assumed it was him. Yeah, I could see a family resemblance. And he wasn't a bad looking kid.

I sashayed up to the bar and I sat down. Younger Briggs came over about thirty seconds later.

"What can I get you?"

"My girlfriend is meeting me here, but she's always late. What can I have that I won't get too drunk on while I wait? I don't have a big tolerance for alcohol."

"How about a beer?"

I wrinkled my nose. "Don't like beer."

"Have you ever tried an Amaretto Sour?"

"No. What is it?"

"Amaretto with sweet and sour mix. It has a huge following and liqueurs are pretty low in alcohol. Try one. I'll make one for you on the house."

Oh shit. He was a nice guy. Fuck. I hate when they're nice. "Ok. Thank you."

He made it in front of me. He was right. Amaretto and sweet and sour mix. More mix than Amaretto. "Lazzonaroni is key," he said, talking to me as he shook the cocktail over the cracked ice. "DiSaronno is too sweet. Here, let me know what you think."

He poured the drink into an old-fashioned glass and handed it to me.

I tentatively took a sip and I moaned a little. "Oh man, this is good. Thank you." It was really good. I mean, really good. So he was nice, smart, talented and good-looking. Shit. Don't you hate that?

There was no one else in the bar. I kept taking little sips and looking at my watch.

"What time was your girlfriend supposed to get here?" he asked me, noticing my pattern.

"She said she'd be here around 12:45, but she's _always_ late. Notice I didn't get here until almost one and she hasn't shown up yet."

A little after 1:15 Lula showed up. "Girlfriend, sorry I'm late," she said loudly, air-kissing me hello like we haven't seen each other in a while. "What are you drinking there? That don't look like a grown-up drink. What are you having, Shirley Temples?"

"It's an Amaretto sour. Our bartender, I'm sorry, what's your name?"

"Alex."

"Alex recommended it. He said it has a huge following."

"Huge my ass. As much of a following as a Margarita?"

Alex answered her. "Different audience. Your friend here said she has a low tolerance to alcohol, so I recommended it because it's not as strong as most mixed drinks."

"I'll have a Margarita," Lula said. "Fresh lime juice and Cointreau not Triple Sec."

While he was making it, Lula chimed in, "I'm a Margarita connoisseur. I'll be judging you on your Margarita-making abilities." Manny told her to be brassy. The old Lula was back, only louder.

"Girlfriend, you tell him. He ain't never seen a more connoiseuring Margarita taster than me. Right? Tell him how we like our Margaritas in New Jersey. Snooki's got nothing on me."

"You girls are from Jersey?" Alex asked.

"Damn skippy we are. New Jersey born and bred. We just visiting your great state here."

"Actually this isn't a state, it's the _District_ of Columbia."

"Well, we're just visting your district then. I used to have a district. Back in the days when I was a ho, that is."

"You were a ho?"

"Yeah, but I don't like to talk about it. I'm a college graduate now. I don't have to do none of that hoing anymore. I make good money being an accountant. We both are accountants. Don't we look like accountants?" Lula asked him.

We were entertaining Alex, well make that Lula was entertaining Alex, when Lester and Bobby showed up.

From the doorway, I heard someone tentatively ask, "Beautiful? Is that you?"

I turned around to see Lester's smiling face and I just lost it. I jumped off the stool and ran to him. He picked me up and twirled me around and then lifted me into his arms. Bobby went over to Lula, wrapped his arms around her and was nuzzling her neck. "Baby, I haven't seen you in so long. Is this where you've moved to?"

"Hell no. We ain't moved anywhere. We just visiting on account of business. What are you two sorry asses doing here? Jersey not good enough for you anymore?"

Lester carried me over to the bar, "I'd like to buy these women a drink. Can you give them another of what they had? And we'll each have a beer."

Thankfully Alex did not have the sense of duty his father had. He kept the place open while we drank, kissed, hugged and cajoled with Bobby and Lester. We entertained Alex and each other for the next hour and left with the guys a little after 2:30. Definitely enough time for Hector to get into Briggs' house, plant a few things and check out his locked office. Hoped his evening was as much fun as ours was.


	16. Chapter 16 What's in a Name?

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for Beta-ing my story and deeming this chapter good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :)**

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 16 — What's in a Name?**

As promised we were back by 3 am. Carlos was sitting at the little table that I had set up for my laptop and he was reading the screen.

"Hey handsome, see anything you like?" I said coming into the room and seeing him on my computer.

"Babe, come here." I walked over to him and he got up to pull me in tight. "I guess your distraction worked. You smell like Santos."

"You're despicable. You knew that Lester and Bobby were coming and you didn't tell me."

He was smiling his 200-watter. "Sorry Babe, I thought it would be more fun for you to find out on your own. Did everything work out ok?"

It was time to get even. "Well I sat on Lester's lap and we canoodled all night. He's almost as good a kisser as you are, no wonder women like him," I said with a straight face.

I heard Carlos growl. "I'll kill him."

"Oh Carlos, I'm only kidding. We just made enough of a show for it to look like Bobby and Lester were old friends or old lovers. Lester didn't do anything inappropriate. You're too jealous."

"I don't like anybody manhandling my woman."

I figured I'd better change the subject now. "You can manhandle me," I said seductively, pulling him tight and playfully biting his bottom lip.

"Mmmm Babe, you don't want to play with fire."

"Mmm hmm, yes I do."

"Go wash up then and get the smell of Santos off of you. I certainly don't want to feel like I'm kissing _him_."

I knew what Carlos was saying. Lester has a fresh, clean, soapy-smelling kind of smell. It's either a body wash or some man fragrance thing or something. I guessed I rubbed over him when he picked me up and carried me. I thought the smell was primarily in my hair, so after I washed the four-pounds of makeup off my face, I put my Mr. Alexander once a month miracle leave-in conditioner in my hair and French-braided it. Hoped that would take care of Lester.

I came back out in just my lacey, boy-short panties and the add-2-cups pink bra. It looked like Carlos was gloriously naked under the sheets. Well it's quite easy to go from hospital gown to naked anyway and I certainly preferred the naked.

I wasn't sure how much post-surgical pain he was still in so instead of pouncing on him, I just straddled him, the sheet separating us.

"You're going to have to do better than this Babe. Looks like there's a barrier between us. You can't play with fire if you can't get burned."

Oh shit was that sexy.

I maneuvered myself under the covers with him and yes, he was deliciously naked and sporting an erection. I did something I'd never done in my life before. I just moved my panties to the side and lowered myself on to him. Oh God, he felt incredible.

"Oh God Carlos."

"Shhh, Babe. It's 3 am and the nurses station is right outside," he whispered, putting a hand to my mouth.

Suddenly there was a knock on our door, "Mr. Manoso, are you alright? Is everything ok?''

Shit. I moved off of him as quickly and silently as I could and somehow Carlos was able to answer her.

"I'm sorry. Stephanie was just having a bad dream."

Yeah my bad dream was that we were interrupted. This certainly gave new meaning to coitus interruptus. I gave his nurse a few minutes to get back to her station and then I tried again. Nothing so dramatic this time. I just ran my tongue down his chest until it couldn't go any further and I took what was at the end of the rainbow into my mouth. I'm pretty sure I've told you this before, but Carlos tastes as good as he looks. God I love putting my mouth around him and taking him in. It's a totally sensual experience, and he's always very reciprocal. I was enjoying a very early breakfast of Carlos when suddenly he flipped me over and took the lead. I hoped that didn't hurt him, but he didn't even wince. He kissed his way down my body, removing my bra and panties as they interfered with where his mouth and hands wanted to go.

He put his finger to my mouth reminding me to try to be silent and then he was in me. Oh God he felt so good. The springs on the bed were making a bit of noise as he thrust; I hoped the night nurse wasn't going to show up again. I decided I should take the lead to keep the noise factor down, so I maneuvered myself on top. I hoped rolling him like that didn't hurt him, but he still had a smile on his face and he seemed to be enjoying the ride.

I could feel myself start to climb to that happy place and I guessed Carlos could feel it too. He put a finger to my lips again and moved into me to make g-spot contact. A couple of very small moves on his part and my body shuddered into orgasm. I felt him tighten and follow me over. And unbelievably, we were very quiet.

"Babe, we should both get some rest, looks like we'll have a big day tomorrow."

"We're going home."

"Yeah and your cross-referencing seemed to have pulled up a couple of names."

"Really," I said, ready to get up and look at them now.

Carlos pulled me back and draped an arm over me to keep me in bed. "Tomorrow Babe. Get some sleep."

I woke up remembering what Carlos said; I had cross-referenced something. I made a move to get up and Carlos pulled me back down to him. "Mmmm, good morning Babe."

"Are you trying to keep me from seeing something?" I asked, suddenly feeling like he was.

"Babe. Bobby and Lester will be here around nine. I texted Bobby last night, he was going to have Hal look into one of the names your computer flagged. There is someone popping up that just doesn't seem to fit the picture."

"Ok, you need to tell me. Secrets just won't fly."

Carlos paused as if trying to second-guess my reaction to the information he was about to tell me.

"Spill it, buster."

"Your dad."

"What? What the fuck? My father? What does he have to do with any of this? He was in the army a gazillion years ago."

"Exactly. And your dad was a so-so soldier. I don't mean anything bad by that, but he wasn't officer material. There is no reason for his name to pop up at all."

"My dad wasn't in the border patrol, he was in the postal service. And he would never be associated with someone like Briggs. My dad may be a little bigoted; you know if you're not Italian, you're not any good—well except for my mom— but he wouldn't side with the likes of Briggs."

"I know Babe. Bobby had Hal run an extensive background check. I'm sorry I didn't want to have to tell you, but you would have seen it yourself anyway. And that would have been harder."

I still didn't believe it. I've known my father my whole life. He's just not the kind of man to work with or for a guy like Briggs. Yeah he's a little hen-pecked, but he's still a strong moral guy. My gut told me something was off. Way off.

I got up to check it out for myself. I walked over to my laptop and took a look. _Francis Plumerri, Trenton, NJ._ Very few people knew my dad's real first name was Francis. Just like Carlos has always been Carlos, my dad has always been Frank. Then it hit me. _Plumerri._ Yes, that was the family name before someone changed it to _Plum_. But someone changed it a long time ago.

"This isn't my dad, "I blurted out. "His legal last name is _Plum_. His grandfather or someone on Ellis Island legally changed it a long time ago. My dad wouldn't use _Plumerri_."

"Babe, just let it sit until Bobby and Lester get here. I know this is hard for you to comprehend. I'm hoping there's another Francis Plumerri."

"I want to call my dad. I'll be subtle, but I want to call him."

I dug my phone out of my purse and called the house. It was a little after eight, so he could still be out with his early morning cab fares, in which case I'd call back or try him on his cell.

My mother picked up after two rings. "Hello?"

"Hey mom, it's me. Is dad there?"

"Where are you Stephanie?"

"I'm in Washington, DC with Carlos. Is dad back from his cab runs yet?"

"No, he usually doesn't get back here until around 8:30. Is something the matter?"

"I don't know mom. I just wanted to ask him a couple of questions. I'll call back later. I don't want to talk to him while he's driving. Is everything ok at home?" I asked as a last minute add-on to take her mind off the fact that I asked for my dad.

"Yeah. Your grandmother has gotten your sister to take her to Stiva's the last few nights, so she has gossip if you want to talk to her."

"I'll talk to her later. I'll call back when dad is there."

"Ok. Why don't you and Carlos come by this weekend? I'm making a nice pot roast on Sunday and you haven't been over in a while. I'll make pineapple upside-down cake?"

"I'll talk to Carlos. I can't promise anything right now. You know how busy he is. Running a business like his takes a lot of long hours. I'll call back closer to nine. OK?"

My mother and I disconnected.

"I'm sure you heard. My mother wants us to come over on Sunday for a pot roast."

"Ok Babe, we can go."

"You don't eat pot roast. You don't eat mashed potatoes. Why are you agreeing?"

"If we tell your mother we're coming over, she'll make something I eat. I guarantee it. I don't want to be the one stopping us from going over there. And besides we might be able to talk to your father in private if something interesting comes up on Hal's background check."

He was right of course. I'd let her know we were coming when I called my father later.

Our breakfast arrived and I started to feel uneasy about going home. This was a little like being in a hotel except the food wasn't as good and the beds weren't as comfortable, so why was I feeling apprehensive about leaving? I had Carlos' magic salve and he was cleared from PT. Was it because I was worried about my father?

I was taken from my mental musings by my phone buzzing. I looked at the caller ID and it was my dad. I answered on speaker so Carlos could hear too.

"Hey pumpkin, what's up? Your mom said you called?"

"Hey Daddy. I just had a couple of questions about your army days."

"Sure. What made you think of that?"

"Well Carlos is in Walter Reed recovering from an injury and well it's a military hospital," I said, saying the first thing that came to my mind.

"Is he ok?"

"Yes, now he is. We're going home today. Uh, mom invited us over on Sunday and since Carlos is still recuperating and just working a few hours each day, we'll come over. Can you let mom know?"

"Sure. What questions did you have for me?"

"I wanted to know what name you used in the army. You know like Carlos' real first name is Ricardo and on his army records they have him listed as R. Carlos Manoso. Your real first name is Francis, how did they list you?"

"Francis Plum. And I went through hell for the Francis. I should have legally changed it to Frank, but your Grandma Plum would have had a heart attack. She named us all after saints."

I nodded to Carlos and then I asked my dad question number two. "So you weren't Francis Plumerri in the army?"

"No, where did you get that from? Our last name was changed to Plum on Ellis Island. Someone couldn't spell Plumerri."

"Just wondering. And one more thing dad, do you know a guy named Andrew Briggs, from back then?"

"Briggs. Uh no, the only Briggs I know is that short guy you and your grandmother are friends with."

Randy Briggs. Shit I forgot all about him. The computer geek. Oh God, I hoped he wasn't related to Briggs. Wait a minute if he was, that might solve some of the mystery.

"Ok, dad. Thanks. I'll see you on Sunday."

"Shit Carlos. I forgot that Randy Briggs and Briggs have the same last name. Do you think they're related? Do you think Randy could have tampered with military records to bring up kind of my dad's name and throw us off? I mean he's really good."

"No one is as good as Hal or Hector and even they have a hard time getting into military records. But he could be related. Why don't you call him?"

I had just punched in Randy's number when Lester and Bobby knocked on Carlos' door. I didn't want to miss anything, but I had to know if Randy and Briggs were related, so I took my call into the bathroom and waited while it rang.

Finally a voice picked up, "This is Randy. You know what to do."

Shit. Voicemail. I left a message for him to call me when he had a chance. With Randy, that could be next week. I'd try him again in a few hours.

I came out of the bathroom nodding and put my phone back into my pocket. "Randy isn't picking up."

Then I turned to Lester and Bobby. "It's not my dad. His army name was Plum."

"Hal ran an extensive background check early this morning," Bobby said in response to my adamant declarative. "There is no one named Francis Plumerri in Trenton or in New Jersey for that matter. But there was a Francis Flumerri. An 'F' typed on a dirty typewriter can look like a 'P.'"

"Flumerri. Yes, I know the family. They lived on Morelli's street. The dad walked out when the kids were little. Morelli's brother Anthony hung out with Michael Flumerri."

"You might want to give Anthony a call," Carlos suggested.

I felt like 'what the hell', it's not like I didn't know Anthony. I retrieved his number from somewhere in the bowels of my phone and I placed a call. His wife Angelina answered.

"Stephanie, what do you want? Joe's not here."

"I'm sorry Angelina, I'm not looking for Joe; I'm looking for Anthony. Is he home?"

"Yeah, hold on."

I could hear noises in the background. It sounded like Anthony was outside.

"Hey Stephanie, what's up? If you're looking for Joe, he's at work…where I should be."

"I'm sorry Anthony, I don't mean to keep you. I'm trying to get in touch with Michael Flumerri, do you happen to have a number for him?"

"What did he do, rob a bank?"

"No, this isn't bounty hunting business. This is personal."

"Sure, let me go inside, I have his number written down somewhere."

I could hear papers shuffling. "Ok, here I found it. Got a pen?"

He recited off a ten-digit number beginning with an area code I wasn't familiar with.

"Anthony, do you know where this is? Do you know where he lives?"

"Yeah, he's in North Carolina."

"Thanks Anthony. Kiss the kids for me."

"Hey Steph?"

"Yeah?"

"You might want to give Joe a call. Bob's been pretty sick."

"What's the matter?" I asked feeling my mothering instinct kick in for my furry friend.

"He has urinary tract disease. Poor guy has stones. It's from eating people food."

"Poor Bob. Will he be ok?"

"I hope so. Joe seems really upset. Call him."

"I will. Thanks Anthony."

We hung up. I had the phone on speaker so I didn't need to verbally replay the conversation for the guys.

"I feel like Bob getting sick is partially my fault. I used to feed him hotdogs and Pinos meatball subs. We gave him everything we ate. And we ate badly."

"If you're going to have a dog, you should know what and what not to feed them," Carlos said. "It sounds like it may have been caught in time, but you might want to call Morelli tonight. We can drive over there if you want to see Bob."

"So I guess we're going to stay in Trenton for a couple of days? Bob tonight, my parents on Sunday?"

"We can do that. Do any of the Flumerri's still live in Trenton?"

"I think Mrs. Flumerri still lives on Joe's old block, kind of around the corner from my parents. We can look her up and pay her a visit on Sunday if you want."

"I think we will. Come on Babe; let's gather up our stuff. I'd like to leave as soon as we can."

Carlos was on a mission. Surprised we weren't going to North Carolina. Well at least we weren't going yet.


	17. Chapter 17 — Putting the Rumors to Rest

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

Real life may be interfering with my next chapter posting. I'm taking a class in Boston early next week and won't be back until Wednesday sometime. Hope to post another chapter before the weekend, but if not, one will come shortly. Thanks for your patience :)

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for Beta-ing my story and deeming this chapter good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :)**

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 17 — Putting the Rumors to Rest**

I just kept thinking about poor Bob. I wished someone had told me that giving him hotdogs with mustard and sauerkraut wasn't a good idea. I'd always buy six, two for me, two for Joe and two for Bob. He seemed to like them. I even used them as a lure to get him to come back to the house when he ran off. He could smell a hotdog a mile away.

I didn't want to see Bob in pain, but Carlos was right, I needed to see him. I couldn't let him go to doggie heaven, if that's where he was heading, without one more good rubbing between the ears. And right now I was missing that big pink tongue licking my face. I had it bad. I missed Bob.

"Carlos did you ever think about getting a dog?" I asked, as we were on our way to the airport in a bullet_proof_ Hummer with Tank, Lula, Bobby and Lester.

"No Babe. A dog has never been a top priority for me."

"Yeah, Ranger doesn't clean up poop," Lester said from the front seat.

"What about those nights when you feel like cuddling up with something warm and fuzzy? Wouldn't you like a dog then?" I asked, bringing it up one more time.

"I have you Babe," he said, ruffling the curls on the top of my head.

Oh boy. I guessed it was time to change the subject.

"I have the tube of EYE-KAH-SA-something, how do we want to divide this up? We should probably save some for Jason too. Did he give you an answer yet about taking a job at Rangeman?" I asked, a couple of questions popping into my head at the same time.

"Jason wanted a couple of days to think, but I have a feeling he's going to accept it," Tank answered above the hum of his new quieter VAC. "Lula and I are going to the shore, if you have something to put some of that stuff in, we'll take it with us now."

"I have a small cosmetics jar in the apartment. If we stop off in Trenton first, I'll wash it out and fill it up for you."

"What was in it," Tank asked looking at me inquisitively, one eyebrow raised in defiance.

"Just a sample of some moisturizer I got at a cosmetics counter at Macy's. It's not going to hurt you and besides, I said I'd wash it out. I'm pretty sure I have two of them, Jason can have one too."

Jeez. Men.

"Vince and Sybo will go with you out to Lake Como," Bobby said to Tank. "Kraven is still alluding us and I'd hate for you to walk into a set up. And with Briggs' aware of the Article 32, I'm not planning on taking any chances. The only way I got you released early was by promising to check your shrapnel wounds and surgical sites, so you'll be seeing a lot of me too. We'll figure out rotations once Steph and Ranger head out."

"As I tell everyone, you and Ashley are welcome to stay over." Carlos said. "There's the apartment over the garage and we have that whole other wing. We invited Hector and Miguel out so that Hector can finish up his classes with Steph and Lula but he hasn't committed yet. First dibs on the private wing. You know full well we can run Rangeman from my place, so that's not an excuse."

"We have an extra room too," Lula added, "with a private bath. If you're moving Rangeman to the shore someone can stay with us too."

"Thanks guys. I need to think about it. Might be easier for us to run Rangeman from Belmar for the time being so I wouldn't be spending all my time commuting. The Article 32 puts Ashley in danger too."

"And Megan," I added.

"Yes, Megan too. I already have men watching both of their apartments."

"I'll stay in Trenton," Lester announced. "Someone needs to keep an eye on the men and Autumn is still healing."

"How did her sister filling in for her on that Food Network special go?" I asked Les, as this was the first time we've seen each other since. Well, except for last night at the bar where it just wasn't appropriate.

"It went well. Autumn has since told a few people, but there were no repercussions. It airs next week; I'll send you the times. Remember when you watch it though, it's Amber not Autumn."

"Have you ever mixed them up?" I asked, just being nosey.

"No."

"That was an abrupt answer."

"Let me put it to you this way. If you had a twin Ranger would never mistake your twin for you."

"But they're identical."

"There are differences. God, if you must know, Autumn has a little mole on the left side of her neck, her smile is more symmetrical and she's prettier than Amber."

"Ok, I knew if I kept at it you'd tell me, now I know what to look for," I said, satisfied I'd gotten an answer out of Lester.

Our plane was waiting for us and Trenton was only forty-five minutes away. I knew Joe usually got home from work around 4:30 so I set a mental alarm to call him around that time and check on Bob. And once we landed I'd try Randy Briggs again, he couldn't avoid me forever.

I guessed I fell asleep right after take off because the next thing I knew Carlos was gently calling my name to wake me. "Babe, we're here."

It was probably my lack of sleep last night that put me into such a deep coma. I felt like a kid being awakened after falling asleep in the car. Only in this case daddy wasn't going to carry me if I pretended I couldn't wake up. And I was pretty sure it wasn't a good idea for Carlos to pick me up now anyway. He was still healing himself.

After I finally got my eyes to open, Carlos helped me off the plane and into the awaiting Hummer. We had landed at Mercer, so we were only fifteen minutes from Rangeman. The plan was for me to go upstairs and fill the small cosmetic jar I had with salve for Tank and then he and Lula would continue on to their house at the shore.

I left Carlos talking to Tank and I took the elevator up alone. I fobbed myself in, said hello to Rex and found what I was looking for. Then I realized I left the salve in my suitcase. I washed the jar and took it back downstairs with me. I opened the suitcase that someone pulled from the car and started digging around to find the tube.

I knew it was in there; I put it in myself. I pushed clothes from one side of the bag to the other feeling for something tube-like. Nothing. I dug deeper. I frantically started pulling clothes from the bag and dispersed them all over the Rangeman garage. Then I remembered where I put the salve. It was in the zippered compartment with my dirty underwear. Right now I had an audience watching me desperately dig through my suitcase. I wasn't sure how I was going to pull off a dive through the dirty clothes.

"Ok guys, here's the story. I just remembered where I put the stuff. It's in this zippered compartment that I was using for dirty clothes. Can you just turn around and give me two seconds to locate it. I don't need Lester gawking at my dirty underwear."

"I don't gawk Beautiful. I imagine you in them," he eyebrow waggled and got smacked in the head for his comment by Carlos.

Oh boy, the merry men were at it again.

There was no graceful way around this, so I just opened the zippered compartment, stuck my hand in and moved it around until I located the tube. I took it out and dumped everything back into the suitcase willy-nilly. I'd sort it out later.

I squeezed a big blob of the salve into the small container, closed the lid and handed it to Lula. Enough craziness for one day.

We said goodbye to Lula and Tank and the four of us went up in the elevator. Bobby and Lester got off at five and we continued up to our apartment.

"You never cease to amaze me Babe," Carlos said, pulling me close once we got inside.

"What did I do?"

"God you should have seen the look on everyone's faces when you started pulling your distraction clothes out of the suitcase. Lester's eyes were as big as saucers when the pink add-a-couple-of-cups bra went flying past him."

"That wasn't in there," I insisted. "That was in with my dirty clothes."

"Babe."

"Oh shit. I'm so embarrassed."

"Come here Babe," he said, pulling me tight to him and laughing, "you're definitely one-of-a-kind."

"And you're despicable. How could you laugh?"

I never stay mad at Carlos for long so once I felt his chest stop vibrating from his secret laughter, I looked up at him.

"Really Carlos? I threw that bra at Lester?"

"Really Babe."

"Oh shit. I'll never live this down."

"It's ok Babe, I'm sure it won't be at the top of his story list, but it was a good one. Did you try calling Randy again?

"No. I'll try him now. Then I want to call Joe. Are you sure you still want to come with me to see Bob?"

"Yes. I promised you we'd go."

I finger-scanned through my list of placed calls and found Randy's number again. I let it ring. It went to voice-mail once again.

"Hey Randy. It's Steph. Yes, I know what to do, but if you don't call me back, I'm coming over. And I'll bring Grandma. Call me."

Then I called Joe. He picked up on the second ring.

"Hey Cupcake." I cringed. I know it was just that ingrained response he had when he saw my name, but it still felt a little too personal for our relationship at this point.

"Hey Joe. I called Anthony this morning to get Michael Flumerri's phone number and he told me Bob's been sick. How is he?"

"He's been passing stones. I'm trying to give him as much water as possible to try to flush them out, but he doesn't seem to want to drink."

"Poor Bob. Can I come over and see him?"

"Of course. Seeing you might make him happy."

"Thanks. Carlos and I will be over in a little bit. Can we bring you anything?"

"No. I'm good. I'll see you when you get here."

I hung up and turned to Carlos. "I wish I knew of a way to get Bob to drink. Joe says he's supposed to drink a lot of water and he just doesn't seem to want any."

"Well it seems to me that if every time I peed I would pass a stone, I'd quickly learn that water equals pain. Maybe Joe has to be sneaky. Maybe ice cubes would work. Daria's dog loves crunching on ice cubes."

"Not a bad idea. We can try it when we're there. Are you ready to go?"

I grabbed my bag and we took the elevator back to the garage. Carlos fobbed open the turbo. I wasn't sure if he should be driving yet, but it looked like he was determined. I noticed that my CL65 still wasn't in its normal parking spot in the garage.

"Gee it's taking a long time to replace a windshield." I said.

"Once I found out about your windshield I asked Bobby to have your car reinforced with para-aramid."

"I know about that stuff. Hal says we have para-aramid shades at the house."

"We do Babe," he said, not elaborating but continuing with his previous line of thinking and opening the passenger side door of the turbo for me at the same time. "I also had bullet-resistant windows put into your car and you'll have special tires made with a para-aramid floc. My turbo was reinforced when I first got it. I didn't think I'd have to do the same for the rest of the fleet, but I've since learned otherwise. So once yours comes back I'll send the others out, one-by-one."

"My car will be bulletproof?"

"Bullet-resistant. Consumer glass cannot be 100% percent bullet-proof."

"Binky said the Hummer is bullet-proof?"

"It is. Their bulletproof glass is proprietary. I'm sure if I paid enough I could get Hummer to put their glass in our cars, but right now I think that's overkill. We have two bulletproof vehicles and the rest of our fleet will be bullet-resistant."

Wow. At least someone finally told me the difference. "So our house is bulletproof because of the para-aramid shades?" I asked, bring it up again.

"Yes Babe. We can lower the shades from the video keypads too. We don't have to get into unsafe situations to bulletproof our place. I'll show you when we go out to the house Sunday night."

It was a short ride and we got to Joe's in no time. After we got out, Carlos fobbed the car locked and we walked down Joe's front walkway with our arms around each other. Carlos kissed me before I rang Joe's bell. "I love you Babe, don't ever forget that."

"I love you too, Carlos," I said looking up at him and feeling all mushy inside.

Carlos and I were still locked in our gaze when the front door opened without my ringing.

"I saw you pull up," Joe said. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

Usually Bob runs to the front door to greet visitors, but there was no Bob.

"Where's Bob?" I asked tentatively, not wanting to hear anything bad.

"He's out back. I didn't want him jumping on you. Come on in."

Joe ushered us in and we followed him to the back door. Bob had already heard my voice and was whimpering to come in. Joe opened the door and Bob leaped at me, kissing my face and wagging his tail like crazy.

"Ok Bob," I said, trying to get him to let up a little. "I love you too. I'm here. I came to see you."

"Woov," he said. "Woov, woov, woov."

My interpretation of that was, "I love you too," but I could have just been reading into his bark what I wanted to hear at the moment.

I was rubbing Bob between the ears and giving him a nice back rub to show how him much I missed him. "Joe, have you been able to get him to drink?"

"No, he won't touch his water. I have a call into the vet, but until he calls me back, I'm not sure what to do."

"Have you tried giving him ice cubes?" I asked, remembering Carlos' suggestion. "Carlos said his sister's dog loves chewing on them. I don't think we ever gave him ice cubes."

"Let's see," Joe said, opening the freezer and cracking open a tray.

"Can I have one?" I asked. Bob loves to fetch, so I thought if I threw one across the floor he might go for it thinking it was a game and when he realized he could eat them we might have Joe's solved problem.

I threw it and Bob responded. After he barked at it a few times, he picked it up in his mouth. And bingo, he started crunching away. Yes, Bob liked ice cubes.

I was playing with him. Rolling ice cubes to him, throwing ice cubes at him and petting him and telling him what a good boy he was whenever he ate one. Joe and Carlos walked into the living room. To talk, I guessed.

I wanted to see if I could get Bob to drink some water, so I took an ice cube over to his water dish and dropped it in. Bob bounded over and started slurping away, trying to get to the ice cube. I had found a way to get Bob to drink water.

"Joe," I called, wanting him to see this, "come here."

Joe and Carlos came in while Bob was lapping up the water.

"What the…?" Joe started.

"He likes ice cubes and after I got him to eat a few I put one in his water dish. He didn't know how to get it out, so he started drinking the water to get to it."

"Cupcake, you're a genius," he said coming over and giving me a big hug.

I heard Carlos growl. A little jealousy is cute but Carlos was over the top.

"Carlos," I said softly breaking my embrace with Joe and nudging myself under his arm. "It's ok, I love you. Joe is just happy that I got Bob to drink."

"Babe do you want to go out to dinner once we leave here? I didn't give Ella any notice that we'd be back."

"Of course. _Sal's_?" I asked. It was the place where Carlos proposed to me the first time and it had sentimental value.

"If you want Sal's, Sal's it is. Joe, you're welcome to join us. I'd still love your take on the Flumerri family."

"If you're serious about the offer, I'd love to join you. Bob seems to be able to drink now, so I'm not as worried about him."

Joe filled up Bob's dish with more water and I threw another ice cube in. Bob went crazy again digging for it. We left him with a huge smile on his face.

_**Ranger's POV**_

I wanted to talk to Joe anyway. If Michael Flumerri was his brother's friend, Joe probably knew him and maybe the father, Francis. And I wanted the opportunity to show Joe that Steph and I were really together. Yes I was jealous. Once I made the commitment to her and to myself I'd always be jealous of other men. And he had a history with her. If I had to bring up marriage and setting a date to get my point across I certainly would. It's a 'Burg formality that I never cared for one way or the other. Steph had more passion for a day in a white dress with a preacher than I ever would. We had already told both sets of parents we'd get married someday, so it wasn't a big deal to formalize it with Joe if I had to. And it would send his scent in another direction once and for all.

Steph certainly loved that dog. Had I not seen with my own eyes that he was on a road to recovery and that Joe was doing the right thing, I would have suggested bringing Bob back to Rangeman until he was out of the woods. Only because Steph got him to drink water and Joe mentioned that he called the vet did I not say anything. I had nothing against a dog really, but I didn't want to be the one walking him at two in the morning. And we didn't have a backyard at Rangeman to just let him out in. Possibly the roof, but since we didn't have to take such drastic measures, I didn't need to think this through any further.

I wanted Steph and I to be spotted out together. It had been weeks since we'd gone out to dinner. Sooner or later we needed to get Kraven—and possibly he'd come to us if we set the right lure. I hated putting Steph in harm's way and he had already hurt her once. Perhaps with deeper emotional scars than either of us even knew about. Of course, I'd have a couple of men watch the restaurant. I hoped if I brought it up, Steph would pick Sal's, it was one of the easier places to contain if that became necessary.

I invited Joe to come out to dinner with us because we still hadn't had a chance to talk about the Flumerri family and it would put an end to the 'Burg gossip that we were dueling rivals. I had wanted to have a chance to talk to Stephanie alone, but my own admission I was never one to let an opportunity pass. I hated that our rapprochement had to take place in a hospital room but I'd make that up to her another night.


	18. Chapter 18 — Smoke and Mirrors

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

I'm back sooner than I expected. Thankfully R/L didn't interfere as much as I thought it might.

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for Beta-ing my story and deeming this chapter good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :)**

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 18 — Smoke and Mirrors**

Considering the relationship between Carlos and Joe, I was surprised he invited Joe to join us for dinner. And I was more surprised that Joe accepted. Carlos thinks Joe is a good cop, and Joe thinks Carlos is a loose cannon. While that may have been true years ago when I first met him, once he assumed leadership of Rangeman, he changed.

I'd like to think I had a lot to do with it.

Joe was always jealous of my friendship with Carlos and tried unsuccessfully to break it up many times. I noticed the pattern that whenever I got into trouble, Carlos was always first on the scene to make sure I was ok. And he always left right after Joe arrived. I'd never asked him about it, but I was pretty sure it was because he didn't like seeing us together. Old habits die hard; a friendly hug from Joe wasn't going to make me run to his bed. I didn't know what I'd have to do to convince Carlos of this. His growling at other men was endearing the first time he did it but now it felt like childish behavior. I hoped dinner would be civil.

Joe took his own car to the restaurant and I was sure our Rangeman chaperones would keep just as much of an eye on it as they did the turbo.

We arrived first and got a spot right in front. I noticed a brand new, shiny black Explorer parked behind us and when I saw Joe's car make the turn onto Sal's street, the Explorer quickly maneuvered out of its spot to let Joe park. They had this keeping watch thing down. I looked closer into the car as it moved next to us and it was Binky and Ramon. I gave them a little finger wave. I always felt good when we were watched over by guys I liked.

We waited for Joe to park. Carlos had his arm around me and I gave Joe's hand a friendly squeeze when he caught up to us. The three of us walked into Sal's together.

I guessed we were expected. The Maître d' escorted us towards a table in the back.

A few of my mother's friends were seated near the bar. Anna Baronowski, Elsa Downing, Margaret Gooley and Louise Kulach were having a girls' night out. I waved hello as we passed their table. I caught sight of Bobby and Ashley sitting at an intimate table for two off to the side. Wondered if it was a real date or a Rangeman plant? I broke away from Carlos and Joe to go over and say hello.

"Business or pleasure?" I asked approaching their table.

Bobby and Ashley both got up to kiss me hello. "A little of both," Bobby answered. "We had planned on a Friday night together and it just happened to correspond with yours. Enjoy your dinner. We'll see you later."

I went back to the guys and put an arm around each of them as we made our way to the table reserved for us.

We sat down. The Maître d' handed us menus and told us our server would be over shortly to take our drink order. Suddenly my phone buzzed. I looked at the caller ID and saw it was my parents' number. In case it was my father I answered the call. It wasn't.

"Stephanie, why do you have to embarrass me like this? Mrs. Baronowski just called. You're at Sal's and you have your arms around two men. What are you doing to me? It'll be the talk of the 'Burg. My daughter can't make up her mind, so she chooses both. Mrs. Gooley's daughter would never do that…"

I hung up the phone before she could finish her rant. I was sure she'd be getting calls all night. I didn't want Carlos to go bananas or I would have played it out for my voyeurs. I would have kissed Carlos and then turned to my other side and kissed Joe. I wished these people would get a life.

Both Joe and Carlos were looking at me.

"That was my mother. She's been getting calls because the three of us are out together. The 'Burg thinks were having a ménage à trois. I'd feed the rumor mill but I don't want Carlos to get jealous."

"And just what were you planning Babe?"

"I didn't get that far," I lied, not wanting to get him upset or for Joe to get the wrong idea. "Let's just enjoy dinner."

Our waiter came by to take our drink order. Carlos pointed out something to Joe on the wine list, he nodded and Carlos ordered a carafe of their house-made red. I'd had it before, I think on the evening of our first engagement. It packed quite a punch.

Our waiter was back quite quickly with our wine, a basket of warm bread, rosemary-scented olive oil and an assortment of warm olives. I could have a meal of just bread and olives and I'd be content. Our waiter filled our glasses while I loaded my plate with a few goodies.

I took a bite of one of the warm green olives I'd captured. I guessed I'd moaned because I looked up to see both Joe and Carlos grinning at me. They both knew my penchant for food.

My phone was buzzing again. I was going to have to turn it off; this could go on all night. I looked at the caller ID and it was Randy.

I knew if I didn't take his call, it'd be a while before we connected again, so I answered it. I told Joe and Carlos who it was and I walked to the restroom foyer to have a short conversation. Pardon the pun.

After we went through the 'hello, how are you formalities' I got down to business. "Randy, Carlos and I met an army Colonel with the last name of Briggs. Andrew Briggs. He lives in DC. Are you guys related?" "I'm sorry. Carlos is Ranger. I guess I haven't kept you in the loop. We've been together for the last several months. We've gotten engaged." "Thank you. We're happy too." "No, no date. No hurry." "Funny you mention him, I'm out to dinner right now with both Joe and Carlos." "Yeah, that's what the 'Burg thinks too. So are you related to the Colonel?" I asked again before this conversation digressed even further.

"You are?" "He's some kind of uncle?" "You aren't doing any work for this uncle are you?" "You know, computer work?"

"No?" "No, no work or no, no computer work," I asked, just for the record.

"No, no nothing. We don't really talk to them." Randy answered. "They are the ultra conservative side of the family. My dad tries to have nothing to do with them."

I was trying to get a sense of who_ they_ were and what kind of a relationship he may have had with them, so I questioned further.

"So you don't hang with Alex either?"

"How do you know Alex?"

"We met at a bar. He seems like a good kid."

"Ok Steph, you need to tell me what's going on. My uncle is kind of fucked up, but Alex is ok. Where is this conversation going and what are you trying to get out of me?"

"I guess I was hoping you 'd say you weren't related, but now that I know you are I'm wondering if Carlos and I can come over and talk to you in person?"

"Ranger. Joe. Grandma. Stephanie, your life is just as fucked up as my uncle's. You need to tell me why and just what's going on, before I tell you ok."

"I understand Randy. How about you come over to my mom's for dinner on Sunday? She's making a pot roast. We can go over everything then. And you'll get free food."

"Ok, that I'll do."

"You know the drill, you've been there before. Six on the button." "Great, see you then."

"Wait, Steph. I just thought of something."

"Yeah?"

"A few years ago I saw them at some family thing. I was having a conversation with my uncle about what I did for a living and once he understood he suddenly got interested. He asked me if I could help him locate a few old army buddies. He gave me a couple of names and when I got home I looked them up for him. One guy I couldn't find but the other popped up easily. I gave him the information and that was that."

"Do you still have the names somewhere?" I asked, hoping against hope.

"Possibly. I'll look through my sent emails. It was a number of years ago, so I can't promise anything."

"I know. Thank you. See you Sunday."

I was all excited as I walked back to Carlos and Joe at our table. Randy might have something.

I made my way back to the table. I had a huge smile on my face. Joe and Carlos were deep in conversation. Carlos had moved over and taken my seat so they could talk freely without being overheard.

When they saw me approach, Carlos got up and gave me back my chair.

"Ranger just told me what's been going on. This Briggs guy sounds insane. Any relation?"

"Yes, he's some kind of uncle," I said, relaying my conversation with Randy to the guys.

"Let's hope he can find that email. It may prove invaluable," Carlos added."

"I'm betting Flumerri was on the list," I said.

"The other name will be the telling one," Carlos said.

Our talk was halted abruptly by our waiter making an appearance to take our orders. I hadn't had a chance to look at the menu so I told the guys to go ahead while I did a quick scan. There were crab cakes on the menu so I ordered an appetizer portion, a small house salad and an order of their shrimp scampi.

"No Fettuccini Alfredo?" Joe asked, knowing one of my weaknesses.

"I've been trying to eat healthier. Yeah I know, not my old pattern. I've been running too. I try for two and a half miles a few times a week. It's a Rangeman requirement, but I started running before I knew I was going to be working for them. Joe, I just want to say that I feel like Bob's urinary tract disease is my fault."

"Steph, please don't go there. It was both of our faults. I didn't know any better either. We were both naïve when it came to feeding Bob."

Our conversation was cut short by a loud explosion. Rangemen came out of the woodwork and surrounded us. "Get low. Follow us out."

I grabbed Carlos' waistband and Joe's arm and followed Binky out of the smoke-filled room. "Are my mom's friend's ok?" I asked as we passed the bar.

"They left twenty minutes ago. Everyone is ok. It was meant to scare." Binky said as we caught up to Sal, Slick and Bobby bringing the other patrons out into the fresh air.

"Meant to scare who?" I asked to no one in particular.

"I'd say it was meant to scare you, Ranger and Joe," Bobby said. "I saw you go to the restroom lobby a little while ago with your phone to your ear. Did who you were talking to know where you were?"

"No, but all our phones have GPS in them. The guy I was talking to is a computer geek. If anyone could figure out where I was, he could. And I wished I wasn't saying this."

"Do you think Randy is working with his uncle?" Joe asked as police and fire trucks began arriving.

"I don't know. He said they aren't close and that is uncle is ultra conservative. My gut tells me he's telling the truth. But that smoke bomb tells me something else."

"Your GPS is active when your phone is on, anyone could have done the triangulation," Carlos added. "It wasn't necessarily Randy. And your mother's friends have been making calls to let their friends know you were here with Joe and I. It could have been anyone."

"I gotta go talk to these guys," Joe said as a black and white turned into the parking lot. "Are we going to try to have dinner once the smoke clears, or shall we just call it a night?"

"If Sal's is still going to remain open, I'm staying for dinner," I said.

"Ok, I'll be back in ten minutes."

Joe and the police went inside to try to gather some evidence and we stayed out with Bobby, Ashley and Binky until we got the all clear.

"Briggs' in in DC," I said out of nowhere, stating a fact I knew to be true.

"Yes, but as Ranger just told you, you can pull up cell phone coordinates from anywhere," Bobby answered. "It could just as easily be Kraven or one of his lackeys, he certainly has it in for you Steph."

"I know, but my spidey sense isn't tingling Kraven. He wouldn't try to smoke me out; he'd come in swinging something thoroughly unpleasant with spikes on it. I'm going to rule out my mom's friends too. That leaves Briggs or Randy," I said adamantly.

"Briggs seems to have friends in the border patrol and probably others with airport access. You only arrived back this afternoon. I don't like that our NetJets account may have been compromised. Jason Wright coming on board may be just the thing we need. He'd like to be our corporate pilot among other things. He owns a Cessna Citation," Bobby responded.

"We'd still have to keep that NetJets account, we do more flying that he can handle, have you checked out his pilot's license? Does he have his commercial ticket?" Carlos asked.

"Yes, all clear. I checked him out when you and Tank gave me the go ahead a few days ago. Clean record. ATP certified and current. Just had his bi-annual FAA review. He wants to bring his own plane east. It's a make or break."

"Well it looks like we'll need him now more than ever if there's someone in NetJets we can't trust."

Most of the restaurants patrons packed up for the evening, not trusting what a few well-placed exhaust fans could do in a matter of minutes. Bobby, Ashley, Carlos, myself and probably Joe, although he disappeared, stayed around for the all clear from the fire marshall.

Sal came out to apologize and let us know that dinner was on him. I knew Carlos wouldn't accept the pro-bono offer and we went back in to sit together around one of the larger tables. Binky and Ramon had to be somewhere, but the four of us had a very conspicuous table for six close to the window. Just as much to advertise that the place was open as to accommodate the lot of us. Joe joined us shortly after we were seated.

While we were waiting for our waiter to bring out the food we ordered earlier, Bobby's phone that can also act like a walkie-talkie, pinged. I heard Ramon's slightly-accented voice. "I got the little bastard."

Little bastard? "Did Ramon pick up Randy?" I asked, the 'little' being the telling word. "I just spoke with him, how could he have gotten here so quickly and pulled off a stunt like that?"

"If he called from his cell, he could have been anywhere, and right now we don't know who Ramon has," Carlos told me.

"Bobby, ask him," I pleaded. "Ask him if it's Randy. Please."

Bobby shook his head no. Wasn't sure if the 'no' was to tell me he wouldn't ask, or 'no', it wasn't Randy.

When Bobby pocketed his phone again, I looked at him, waiting for an answer. "Not Randy. This guy is African-American and close to six feet tall."

"Don't tell me it's another SAD agent?" I questioned Bobby.

"Steph, we don't know anything yet, Ramon is bringing him to Rangeman."

Nothing more was said about Randy or SAD or the smoke bomb. There was pleasant conversation between us while we ate dinner. I couldn't wait to get home though. I wanted to see who Ramon picked up. Although it _was_ a toss-up between staying for dessert or checking out our detainee.

Who was I kidding. It was _never_ a toss-up; dessert won. Ashley and I split a piece of chocolate cake, Joe had his own and the Rangemen had black coffee.

Once we said goodnight to everyone and were buckled into the turbo, Carlos and I had a chance to talk.

"Babe, I heard you mention SAD to Bobby. I would have assumed that after White gave us the low down, any SAD activity would have stopped; but I'm inclined to agree with you. Nothing else makes sense. Unless it was just a random act of terrorism."

"Too bad Cal is still in DC, he can be very persuasive."

"So can Vince. And I'm pretty sure he's on duty tonight."

"Yeah, he has some build. I was shocked when I saw him shirtless."

"You saw Vince shirtless?" Carlos asked, that jealous streak back again.

"At our pool. The weekend MA and Angie stayed over. After I learned about the para-aramid shades I convinced the guys to have a little fun and come in the pool with us."

"Only you, Babe," the jealous streak carefully tucked back away.

Good thing I didn't tell him about me guessing the guys' weights, that probably would have set him off. Or Vince's response about him being _all_ muscle. I was slowly learning that some thing are better kept to myself.

"Before we go upstairs can we see who Ramon has in a cell?" I asked.

"Let's call the desk first, I'd hate to just show up if Vince is being persuasive." Carlos handed me his phone while he negotiated a few turns. I took that as he wanted me to call.

Hal answered. I guessed he was still doing some desk duty even though we'd hired Shirley. "Hey Hal, it's Steph. Carlos and I wanted to know if it's ok if we come and visit our newest prisoner. Vince isn't with him, is he?"

"He took one look at Vince and decided he didn't want to get messed up. He's some SAD guy playing a role. And a guy named White called looking for Ranger. He said he's SOG. All these initials confuse me, why don't they just say that they're CIA, at least we all know what that is."

That was quite a speech for Hal, he must be bored. "I'll tell Carlos. Well see you in a few minutes."

"You were right Babe," Carlos said when I relayed Hal's saga. "I wonder if White wanted to give us a heads up?"

"I wonder why he let it play out? And how did Briggs know where we were? And bigger yet, how did a SAD guy get here so fast?"

"We should get all those answers in a few minutes Babe," Carlos said, pulling into the Rangeman garage.


	19. Chapter 19 — Ins and Outs

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

**Just a little road story.** Not sure if it's just me, but whenever I see a black Porsche 911 turbo on the road I try to catch up to it, especially if it has Jersey plates. Never know — it might be Ranger :). Anyway, travelling back from Boston Tuesday evening I got behind one and I was so busy following him that I missed my exit for Rt 91 (a major road) and had to take a twisty, turny, secondary highway back into NY. Well this twisty, turny, secondary road got me home a half an hour sooner than the major highway would have. **Thank you Ranger :)**

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for Beta-ing my story and deeming this chapter good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :)**

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 19 — Ins and Outs**

Carlos parked in our underground garage and as we were taking the elevator up one flight to the basement holding cells he spoke to me, "Babe, let's go up to five first, I think I'd like to call David White back and see what Vince learned before we talk to our detainee."

"That's fine by me. I'd love to hear why David called you."

The elevator opened on the basement level, but we didn't get out. Carlos pressed five and we continued up. Hal was still manning the monitors and phones so we both waved hello. Well, I waved and Carlos imperceptibly nodded.

We went to Carlos' office first. And I was sure that the news we were here would travel fast. Vince would probably find us.

Carlos used his office line to call White back, I guessed so the call could be scrambled. "White? Manoso. My office said that you called." "Yes, that was an unfortunate incident. We have the agent here in one of our holding cells. I plan on talking to him, but wanted to catch up with you first." "That's what we figured." There was a pause while Carlos listened. "Ok, we'll see you tomorrow then."

After he hung up he turned to me. "White is coming here tomorrow. He wants to meet with us and as many of the core team as we can pull together on a Saturday. Briggs still believes he has a stronghold over a number of SAD agents, so White didn't do anything to pull the plug. Anton Chisholm is the man we have in our cell. He's Philly-based right now. Let's see what he told Vince."

A voice answered Carlos from the hall. "I'm here, I didn't want to interrupt your call. Hal let me know you arrived."

"Come on in Vince. I understand Chisholm spoke with you?"

"Yeah. I think he took one look at me and decided coming clean was the lesser of two evils. He's a SAD agent. Indirectly reports to White. Briggs still seems to be using Cagiano and Malone, who you met, to pull together his SAD lackeys. They plan to show up for his Article 32 with additional charges against him but didn't want to send him running. It's why Chisholm only used a smoke bomb and didn't practice avoidance maneuvers when Ramon gave chase."

"Is Ramon still here?"

"Yes, he was waiting for you too. I'm pretty sure he's in his cube."

"Let's get a conference room and pipe in Bobby and Lester."

"Bobby's here. He and Ashley just arrived," Vince confirmed.

"I'll go get everyone," I said to have something to do.

"Babe, bring them down to the conference room on two, we can patch Tank and Lester in from there."

"Hector too," I added, making my suggestion to add him to the team.

"Ok, Hector too. But we'll need to get approval on that."

"I understand. But you know he did all the tracing on his own; he knows more about Briggs than anyone. And he's monitoring the bugs."

"I believe he'll be approved for this call and most likely for tomorrow's visit with White. Just want to manage expectations."

I was about to push for Hector to become a permanent member of the core team, but I realized Vince was still in the room and I didn't want to push too hard in front of him. Instead I took out my phone and texted Hector. He texted me right back. He was available to be patched in as well.

I found Bobby with Ashley in his office and told them about the impromptu meeting. Ashley was with us at the restaurant and she was one of our lawyers so there was no reason to exclude her. I next found Ramon doing paperwork at his desk. I gathered bringing someone into custody required documentation. He looked happy to put it aside for now and follow me downstairs.

Carlos had the calls set up and had gotten approval from Bobby, Les and Tank to have Hector on the line when Ramon and I joined the meeting.

"Ok," Carlos began, "it looks like we're all here. In person we have Vince, Ramon, Bobby, Ashley, Steph and myself. On the phone we have Tank, Santos and Hector. I just wanted us all to have the same information. Tonight Steph and I were having dinner with Joe Morelli at Sal's. Bobby and Ashley, our Sal, Slick, Binky and Ramon were all at the restaurant in one capacity or another. While we were talking about a possible tie in with Briggs, the restaurant was smoke-bombed. Ramon followed and apprehended the person who set off the bomb and we have him in in one of our cells.

"Simultaneously, David White called Rangeman looking for me to let me know that Briggs had ordered one of the SAD guys to follow Steph and myself. Another was dispatched to watch Tank and Lula. He somehow found out that we were discharged from the hospital this morning. How that information got out disturbs me.

"Cal, Ram, Stefan and Angelo are still at the hospital taking rotations to guard Jason and to make it appear that Tank and I are still there. Manny and Hector are watching Briggs and manning the bugs that Hector put into place on his house and office, so our presence is still felt in DC. Anyone have anything else to add?"

Bobby raised his hand and Carlos continued speaking. "To those not here, Brown just raised his hand. Bobby?"

"I just wanted to let the team know that Jason officially accepted a position at Rangeman. He will be our corporate pilot among other things. He'll be starting in a couple of weeks. Until then we will still be using NetJets exclusively, although we believe there has somehow been a breach there. If you have to fly, please inform the office first so we can take secondary precautions."

"Thank you Bobby. Anyone else?"

"Should Lula and I be worried that a smoke bomb is going to come through one of our windows?" Tank asked.

"We sent Sal and Slick over to your house to keep four other eyes on you. Sybo and Junior are still inside with you, I presume?" Bobby replied.

"Yeah, Junior's teaching Lula how to cheat at Poker. I would have preferred our second inside man to be Vince, but I understood the need for the last minute switch."

"You're just upset that you didn't get Vince's homemade lasagna," I told Tank.

Ever the disciplinarian, Carlos tried to get us back on track. "Let's finish up this meeting so we can all enjoy what's left of the evening. Lastly, David White is coming to Rangeman tomorrow. He asked to meet with our core team and I'd like to extend that invitation to Hector via phone. Vince, Ramon, your participation is optional. We can talk through your involvement if you want to keep your day off. After we conclude this meeting, Stephanie and I and going to have a talk with Anton Chisholm, the SAD agent we have in lockup. You never know what we might learn. Anything else?"

"White is arriving what time?" Lester asked. "I'm at Autumn's; I'll need some time to get there."

"He didn't say. I'll call you when I know. Anyone else?" "No? OK, meeting adjourned."

After the meeting Carlos and I went down to the holding cells in the basement to talk to Anton. It looked like he had been enjoying some of Ella's cooking. Not a bad deal for someone being detained.

"Anton," Carlos addressed him, startling him out of his late dinner. "I'm sure you know who we are."

"Yes. Ranger, Carlos Manoso and your girlfriend, Stephanie Plum."

"Stephanie is my fiancé, but yes. I understand agents Cagiano and Malone sent you to disrupt our dinner, under Briggs' orders?"

"Ha, that's a good one, disrupt your dinner. Briggs told Cagiano to have us fucking kill you if that's what it would take to get you off his back. Obviously, we're not following his orders to the letter. Robert and Jason, that's Cagiano and Malone, have been building a case against Briggs for a while. We've been playing along and following through on Briggs' requests."

"How did he know we were out of the hospital? We left quite stealthily."

"I don't know, maybe Robert does. He said you could call him. I think he's planning to come to Trenton to see you anyway. And I'm pretty sure White is coming up."

"Yes, David will be here tomorrow. You're not a prisoner," Carlos said, opening the cell door and taking out keys to remove Chisholm's cuffs. "We have a small efficiency apartment upstairs that you can stay in but we'd like you to remain here overnight and be in the meeting with White tomorrow."

"Of course. Thank you. Excellent dinner, by the way."

"Yes, my housekeeper Ella is quite a cook. Come on, I'll take you up to one of the open apartments."

Anton rubbed his wrists and followed Carlos out of the cell to pick up his possessions.

"Do you know exactly what kind of a case Cagiano and Malone have against Briggs, other than attempted assassination?" Carlos asked.

"Well this has been going on for a while, so I'd assume they have quite a bit. Here," he said, removing the wallet he just put back into his pants and taking out a card. "Call Robert. I'm sure he's expecting you."

Once we got Anton situated in one of the apartments on four, Carlos and I went up to seven. "I want to call Cagiano Babe. You're more than welcome to listen in. Let's go into my office."

"Ok. This should be interesting."

I made myself comfortable in one of the chairs while Carlos called. The phone was on speaker so I heard Cagiano pick up.

"Cagiano here."

"This is Carlos Manoso. Ranger."

"I figured you'd call once you spoke with Chisholm. I'd come up to Trenton with David tomorrow, but I don't want to get Briggs' antenna up. We've got a nice tight case against him and the Article 32 is just a week away."

"David filled me in on the SAD operation. I've got to tell you, you had me fooled. I would have believed you were working with Briggs."

"That was the idea. I don't know if David told you the latest. We've infiltrated the CBP."

"CBP?" I mouthed.

"Customs and Border Protection," Carlos answered, "Official name. And?"

"And we've found who Briggs is working with. It's two men actually…"

"Francis Flumerri?" I asked, breaking into Cagiano's conversation.

"And you are who? And how do you know Flumerri?"

"I'm Sorry. I'm Stephanie Plum, Carlos' fiancé. I'm the person who's apartment you broke into when this whole thing started. Flumerri's name popped up on a cross-reference I was running between Border Patrol personnel and Briggs. We misread the name initially and thought it was my father. And who is this second man?"

"Todd Albertson."

I saw Carlos nod his head yes. "That's the other name that popped up on Stephanie's search. I had our office look into him but we weren't able to get much current information."

"You're lucky you got anything at all. You must have some pretty good programs if you were able to dig into government records. He's a CBP Officer. White can fill you in more when he gets there tomorrow. I'm glad we made contact. Let's stay in touch."

Once we hung up with Cagiano I turned to Carlos. "I think the names Briggs asked Randy to look up for him a number of years ago were Flumerri and Albertson. I'd bet money on it."

"Possibly. I think there is someone else involved on a higher level. It still feels off to me. Possibly someone that Briggs is working with. It's hard for me to believe he's a one man vigilante."

"What's above a Colonel?" I asked.

"Doesn't have to be above Babe. There are people to the left; people to the right and yes, there are people above. Generals. The president. The vice president. I'm not saying any of those are who we need to be looking at, but we need to be looking."

"What about those other eight guys he's targeted. I know Rangeman is watching five of them. Have we come across anything unusual?"

"Good question. My last update from Miami was the day before yesterday. Same with Boston. We're monitoring the Philly guy out of Trenton, so Bobby probably knows what's going on with him. We can ask him tomorrow. But that's good thinking on your part. It's the kind of 'left-of-center' logic we'll need to get to the bottom of this."

"Carlos?" I asked, suddenly thinking of something.

"Yeah, Babe?"

"What about getting Hector involved? If Rangeman and our standard search programs can't dig any deeper into Flumerri and Alberston, what about the programs Hector used to dig up dirt on Briggs?"

"He probably created a custom program specifically to pull up information on Briggs. If you ask him he may be able to tailor it for Flumerri and Albertson. But Babe, it's eleven o'clock at night, why don't you wait until the morning," Carlos added, seeing me digging for my iPhone.

"If it's something he can do and let it run overnight like we do, I'd rather he get the jump on it. I bet he's bored just watching videos of Briggs' comings and goings. And he certainly isn't asleep yet."

I texted Hector and he texted me right back. I told him what we were looking for and gave him the names of the two guys in CBP.

HECTOR: "Briggs went back to his office about 20 minutes ago. I going there now to see what he's up to."

STEPHPLUM: "Are you going to break in again?"

HECTOR: "Sí. I get in like before. White says place closed up tight after seven. I want to see how Briggs get in and out. He in his office now. I can customize the search I made for Briggs for the other 2 men when I get back."

STEPHPLUM: "Please be careful. He's dangerous."

HECTOR: "Sí. Manny will back me up. We good."

"Carlos, Hector just told me that Briggs went back to his office at the Pentagon a little while ago. He's going there now to watch him closely. He said Manny's going to back him up."

"I think I want to let White know about Briggs' after hours jaunt. Something is fishy with that. I wonder if he's meeting someone?"

I was betting SOG or SAD or someone with secret clearance could get into the Pentagon after hours. And obviously Hector and Briggs could. Maybe we could catch him in the act.

Carlos and White had a call; I had a headache. Hector was in DC sneaking into the Pentagon again. White was coming here tomorrow with some intel we weren't yet privy to and Cagiano, Hector and Manny were ready to take Briggs down. The curious part of me would really like to join forces with Hector and be there for the takedown. Of course that wasn't going to happen, I wasn't that good of an apprehension agent and Carlos needed my help for his healing. We'd deal with White and Hector and whatever tomorrow and on Sunday we'd have dinner with my parents and talk to Mrs. Flumerri. Somewhere there had to be a clue.


	20. Chapter 20 — Just say it in Spanish

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for Beta-ing my story and deeming this chapter good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :)**

A chunk of this chapter is for **Babe Love - MM Love**. Once you read it, you'll know :)

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 20 — Just say it in Spanish**

I was too tired to keep my eyes open for even another minute. This had been a long, crazy day. Carlos and Tank were dismissed from the hospital this morning. We had learned that Bob, the dog that Joe and I shared when we were together, was ill so Carlos and I went over to Joe's to see Bob and ended up going out to dinner with Joe. Then the restaurant was smoked-bombed. On an up note, Ramon apprehended another SAD agent for the bombing. And now we find out that Briggs has gone back to his office at the Pentagon at eleven o'clock on a Friday night.

Carlos was just about to call White to let him know about Brigg's late-night activities when he looked over at me slumped in the chair. "Babe, go to bed. I'll be in after I call White."

"I want to know what's going on."

"You're asleep on your feet. I'll tell you when I come to bed."

Usually I would fight him, but I was almost too tired to get up on my own power. I knew that if I fell asleep, Carlos wouldn't be able to pick me up and carry me to bed. He was still healing and the additional weight could set him back. So I got myself up and staggered to the bedroom. I had just enough energy to wash my face and brush my teeth. And actually that was the last thing I remembered doing.

I woke up to the sun streaming through the window. Carlos had his arm draped around me, his hand resting on my breast, his erect penis heavy against my back. But he was still asleep. I turned to admire his handsome face in sleep and he woke up.

"Mmmm. Good morning Babe," he said, pulling me in tight and kissing me good morning.

"Good morning to you too." Suddenly it dawned on me that I didn't dress his wounds last night. "Oh shit, I forgot to put the salve on your wounds and surgical site. I can do it now."

"That's ok Babe. I took care of it myself. Come here, just let me hold you."

As I was sure would always be the case, letting Carlos hold me in the morning meant we'd be having sex. So when he rubbed his penis against me, I just wiggled myself closer. Oh God. Our lovemaking has always been hot. There is no other word to explain the coupling between the two of us. Hot, hot, hot. But I knew we'd have to cut short our time together this morning. White was joining us as were the whole core team; today was going to change a lot of things. But I wanted him anyway, even if there wasn't time for a marathon. God, we fucked so well together.

Carlos started kissing and nibbling his way down my body. We hadn't been together, other than a couple of quickies in his hospital bed, since before his incarceration. He licked then gently bit my nipple. He ran a wet finger over it, which allowed his sensuous mouth to move on and pay attention to my other nipple. I shuddered. God he made me feel so good.

"Carlos, please, I need you now."

"In time Babe."

"Carlos," I said again between clenched teeth. "Now."

If he wasn't going to oblige me I was going to have to take matters into my own hands. I pushed him down and rolled him onto his back. I took his cock into my mouth and I moaned. God his penis felt so good in my mouth and he tasted even better. After I had my fill of him I made my way up his body and positioned myself over him. I gently let myself down.

I used my PC muscles to tighten my grip on him and take the lead. He was angled just right inside of me. I moved down on him a few times and I felt myself start to build. I came hard and cried out as the waves of pleasure echoed through me. "Oh God. Carlos."

Carlos rolled me over and took control. I felt myself build again—even stronger and deeper than before. I shuddered and exploded. I felt him tighten and follow me over.

Carlos was holding me and kissing me lovingly when I heard my phone vibrate in my purse. I made a move to get up.

"Let it go Babe."

It stilled itself and then I heard it vibrate again. "It'll go to voicemail, let it be."

I stayed with Carlos and we were nuzzling each other when the landline started ringing.

"I think we should get that, it might be important," I said forcing Carlos to reach over and grab the phone that was by his side of the bed.

"Yo," he answered, hitting the speaker button.

"Hi Carlos, it's Valerie. Sorry for calling so early. Is Stephanie there?"

I took the phone from him, thinking the worst, "Val, what's the matter, is everything ok?"

"Steph can you do me a huge favor?"

"Of course. What is it Val?" My sister never asks for favors.

"I think Lisa has another ear infection, she's running a temperature of 105º. I called mom, but she has a hair appointment. Grandma said she'd take Mary Alice and Angie, but is afraid to take the baby. Can Albert drop Alexa off with you while I take Lisa to the emergency room? Albert has a case and has to go into work today. Pleee-ase?"

I looked at Carlos. Today was a big day here, but I couldn't turn my sister down and 105º was high. Carlos nodded that it was ok, so I told Val we'd take Alexa for the morning.

"Thank you so much. She's a good baby and I've pumped milk. All you'll have to do is bottle-feed her and give her a Cheerio or two. She knows you; she'll be fine."

I sure hoped so. I had never watched any of her kids when they were babies. I guessed we could always call one of Carlos' sisters or Mary Lou if we needed to.

Fifteen minutes later we got a call from Erik at the front desk; Albert and Alexa were here. We both quickly put on some clothes and went down to the reception area.

"Thank you so much," Albert said putting Alexa's sling over my shoulder and then handing her to me. Carlos got the diaper bag. Shit I forgot about that, babies poop. Well I guessed I have to learn how to change a diaper sooner or later anyway. "We were up all night with Lisa," he continued apologetically, "she's been screaming in pain. We called mom as soon as we knew she'd be up, but she has a hair appointment. Your grandmother didn't mind watching Mary Alice and Angie but didn't want the responsibility of Alexa. Thank you so much. I have a big case," he added as an afterthought.

"Good for you. Nasty divorce?" I asked, knowing the types of cases he usually got.

"Very. Thanks again, I gotta run. Either Val or I will pick her up later."

As soon as Albert left, Alexa started squirming in my arms. She looked up at me and burst into wails. Loud, 'someone is killing me' wails. I looked over at Carlos. Hopefully he had more experience with screaming babies than I did. He put the diaper bag on my shoulder and took Alexa from the sling. He kissed her on top of her head and she looked up at him. She smiled, calmed down immediately and snuggled into his chest. Obviously she knew when she had it good. Lucky stiff.

We took her back up to seven with us and put her on the couch with lots of pillows surrounding her while we made breakfast. It was Saturday so we were on our own. I made coffee while Carlos put together some egg white omelets with spinach, mushrooms and gouda cheese. While the coffee started to do its thing, I went in to check on Alexa. She took one look at me and burst into tears again. Oh boy.

"Alexa, it's Aunt Steph. Please don't cry," I told her, picking her up and trying to soothe her.

"Whaa," the wails just got louder.

"Carlos, I don't know what to do. She usually just smiles and wants to play."

"If you watch the omelet, I'll try to calm her," Carlos said, taking Alexa from me and handing me a spatula. I wasn't sure which was harder, dealing with Alexa or dealing with an omelet. What if I had to fold and flip this thing?

I was thinking about taking Alexa back when she stopped crying. I looked over at Carlos and he was talking to her in Spanish and she was smiling at him. I gotta tell you, the Spanish always worked with me too. I guessed she was smitten with his charms.

"Carlos, this is ready. I don't think I can flip this thing, how about we switch again?"

He handed me Alexa and I handed him the spatula. While he successfully folded and flipped the thing, Alexa was watching him intently. I got the feeling she had a crush on him.

"Alexa, you like Uncle Carlos?" I asked watching her watch Carlos like a hawk. I guessed she just realized it was me holding her again. She took one look up at me and burst into tears. I was pretty sure she was playing me now. She just wanted Carlos.

"Babe if you put this on plates and pour out the coffee, I'll try to settle Alexa. Did you put her bottle in the refrigerator?"

I honestly never touched her bottle. It was probably still in the diaper bag. What did I know about storing breast milk?

"It's still in the bag. Did I do something wrong?"

It's ok Babe it would take longer than twenty minutes for it to go bad. Can you get it for me?"

I found two bottles in the diaper bag and brought one over to Carlos.

"Babe, this is pretty cold. Can you run this under warm water for a few minutes to take the chill out of it?"

I put one bottle in the refrigerator and I warmed up the other and gave it back to Carlos. Alexa was all comfy—snuggled into his chest, with Carlos talking softly to her in Spanish. I took my phone out of my jeans and took a picture. It was just too precious. Big bad Rangeman and little Alexa. Carlos turned her around and she took the bottle from him, no problem. I bet if I tried she'd fuss and cry and throw up all over me. Some things were better left to the experts.

Carlos' phone rang while he was feeding Alexa. "Babe can you get that for me?"

I took his phone out of his pants pocket and answered. "Carlos Manoso's line. Stephanie speaking."

"Hi Steph. It's David White. I'm on a ten o'clock flight out of DC, I should get into Mercer around 10:45. Can you let Ranger know?"

Carlos already knew because I put his phone on speaker when I answered.

"Babe, can you take Alexa? I want to talk to him."

We did the baby-switching thing again. Carlos took the phone while I took Alexa.

Surprisingly she didn't start screaming. Guessed she liked her bottle almost as much as she liked Carlos.

I guessed I spoke too soon. As soon as Alexa looked up and saw Carlos on the phone she started to wail. The phone was still on speaker so I could hear David's surprised voice. "I didn't know you had a baby?"

"That's our niece," Carlos answered. "Stephanie's sister's baby."

"She's loud."

"Yeah, I guess she takes after someone in the family," he said, looking at me and laughing. "I'll have one of my men pick you up at Mercer. Commercial or corporate?"

"Corporate. Thank you so much. See you in about an hour."

Alexa seemed to have calmed a little and she let me hold her as long as she could see Carlos. At least that gave him a chance to eat his breakfast. Showers were going to be the fun part.

After we cleaned up breakfast and Alexa had as much of her bottle as she seemed to want, Carlos said he'd play with her while I showered. That was fine, she liked him better than she liked me anyway.

Once I was done, got my hair to behave and had put on a couple of coats of mascara, I came out to find Alexa hitting buttons on Carlos' iPad. He was chatting away to her in Spanish. She couldn't have been more content. I wondered what she'd do when we switched places, especially since my Spanish was limited to taco and burrito.

We did the switcheroo again, but as she was propped up on pillows on the floor, I didn't have to take her from him. She seemed happy to have his iPad. Guessed it smelled like him and she seemed to like pushing buttons. Maybe Alexa wouldn't know the difference between English and Spanish either. I had noticed a couple of books in the diaper bag, so I grabbed one and started to read. It was called _Goodnight Moon_.

Immediately Alexa put Carlos' iPad down and looked at me. She put her hand out and started to smile. I wasn't sure what I should do with the outstretched hand, so I turned the book around so she could see the pictures. She was giggling and then said something that sounded like 'ouse'. Now Alexa is five-months old and doesn't speak, so when she said it again, I turned the book back around to look and noticed there was a mouse in the picture. Was she really saying mouse, or was it my imagination?

"Alexa, find the mouse?" I asked her, just to see if she'd say it again or point to the mouse.

Her little index finger pointed to the page while she giggled.

"Carlos," I called, having heard the water in the bathroom stop running a few minutes earlier. "You're not going to believe this. Come here."

Carlos came out wrapped in his towel, probably thinking that something was wrong. Alexa looked at him and giggled. I guessed she liked buff men in towels.

"Carlos you can get dressed, this isn't a rush, but I think Alexa just said mouse."

"Alexa, what's this?" I asked her. Nothing. She just looked at me and smiled. "I'm telling you Carlos she said 'mouse' and when I asked her to find the mouse she pointed to it on the page."

"Let me put on some clothes and dry my hair, I'll be back in a second. Keep reading to her."

When Carlos came back out he was dressed. He had his hair gelled sexily and I was still reading. He sat down on the floor with us and pointed to the little white mouse in the picture.

"Alexa? Where is the mouse? ¿Dónde está el ratón?"

"Carlos, are you trying to teach her Spanish?"

"Kids her age pick up things very quickly. Dora the Explorer speaks in both English and Spanish."

Oh boy. Carlos knows about Dora the Explorer.

While Carlos and I were talking, I heard it again. "Ouse."

"Carlos, did you hear that? What did she say?"

"I heard it. Very good, Alexa. Yes, mouse. Sí, el ratón."

She started giggling. This was so much better than crying. I looked at the clock. White was going to be at Rangeman any minute. "Carlos did you get in touch with Lester? He has to drive here from Princeton."

"Yes, I called him while you were in the shower. He's probably downstairs. We should get ready to go down too. Do you want to take Alexa in the sling?"

He was right of course; we had to take her with us. We couldn't leave her up here by herself. I didn't know why my sister used that sling. It seemed dangerous to me. I mean your baby could slip out and get hurt, couldn't they?

"I don't like the sling. Can't we just carry her? I'll bring a couple of books and your iPad. I'm sure she'll be fine. She seems to like men with muscles and there are a lot of them downstairs. She'll be in heaven."

Carlos carried her and she was cooing. I'm telling you, she definitely had a crush on him. I picked up the diaper bag, the books and the iPad Carlos used to download baby apps for her and we headed down to the large conference room on two.

Alexa was holding tight to Carlos and grinning from ear-to-ear on the elevator ride down. Come to think of it, today may have been the first time she was on an elevator. Maybe her equilibrium was off and that's why she was crying before. Maybe it wasn't me after all.

Lester, Bobby and the SAD agent, Chisholm were congregated around the table. We were waiting for Tank and Hector to call in and for White to come back from the men's room. Alexa looked over at the men and held her arms out to Les. I _knew_ she liked men with muscles.

Lester took her from Carlos and Carlos said something to him in Spanish. Little Alexa's ears perked up when she heard the sultry, musical language. I guessed Carlos told Lester that she liked the sound of Spanish—because once he started speaking it to her she just looked at him intently and smiled.

"Hey Alexa," Bobby said, rubbing her little hand that was holding tight to Lester's shoulder. She looked over at him for a minute, as if trying to decide whether she liked him or not. Then she raised her arms for him to take her. It was the muscles, I'm telling you. I saw her eyes dart to his biceps before she held out her arms to him.

I didn't know Bobby spoke Spanish. I guessed I never heard him speak it before. I knew I had heard Tank, but never Bobby. So when he started to talk to Alexa in Spanish, even I did a double take.

While we were passing Alexa around, White came back into the conference room and was watching the baby-passing closely. He came up behind me, and after saying hello he asked me what her name was. I told him and he walked over to her and Bobby.

"Ciao Alexa. Come sei bella." She looked over at him questioningly then hid her face in Bobby's shirt. Italian was a new one. Or did she pick up on what he was telling her and get embarrassed? Just because she could say 'ouse' didn't mean she was a baby Einstein. Or did it?

She looked up and around at all the men. She caught Carlos' eye and raised her arms to him. She had her favorite.

We sat down to have our meeting with Alexa in Carlos' lap. She was quiet and content; we didn't even need to bring out the iPad.

Once everyone was settled into chairs and Tank and Hector had called in, there was a tentative knock on the conference room door. It was Vince and Ramon. Carlos did invite them yesterday, but told them the meeting wasn't mandatory. Obviously they felt it necessary to be there.

We now had a full table and after introductions by Carlos, White took the stage.

"Thank you for coming out on a Saturday. It looks like I've interrupted everyone's weekend," he said looking at Alexa on Carlos' lap. Little did he know that her visit wasn't planned. "Too much has happened in the last couple days to not have this meeting though.

"As you know an Article 32 was issued to Colonel Briggs last week. His arraignment is scheduled for next Monday and I know you've been busy trying to gather new intel. Well so have we.

"Agent Cagiano has been able to make inroads into the Border Patrol by working directly with Chief Fisher. We've found out just who Briggs has been dealing with: a man originally from Trenton, but working out of the Buffalo Sector now, and another officer from the Miami Sector.

"I believe you've pinpointed the same two men. A Francis Flumerri and a Todd Albertson. Flumerri is in Buffalo, Albertson in Miami. We'd like to get both of them to cooperate with us and turn state's evidence in return for qualified immunity. Unfortunately we believe Briggs met with Albertson last night…"

"Sí," came though the phone line, interrupting White. "I have taped conversation and a personal visual identification. Both were in Briggs' office at the Pentagon late last night," Hector added.

"Thank you Mr. Santiago. I'd like to see that tape later, but off the top of your head did you hear Albertson let on that the CIA was onto him or Briggs?"

"No, sir, he did not. I tink he already cooperating with CIA."

Well this was good to hear. And now I knew who Briggs met with last night. I was so happy that Hector didn't get caught, but it was killing me just how he was able to get in and out of the Pentagon like he was going through his own front door. He was going to have to spill.

I decided to add in my thoughts. "Carlos and I plan to speak with Flumerri's ex-wife tomorrow. I'm not sure if we'll be able to come up with anything, but we're certainly going to try."

"Does she know you're coming to see her?" he asked, suddenly curious.

"No. The Flumerri's live around the corner from my parents, so I was just going to walk over after dinner and knock on her door."

"Please bring backup. I don't trust him." Little did he know that Carlos hasn't been letting me go anywhere without backup, especially since Kraven.

"I'm sure that's already in the plan," I added.

Anton Chisholm, the SAD agent spoke up. He had been quiet, taking everything in up until now. "I'd like to speak with Mrs. Flumerri too. Is it ok if I join you tomorrow?"

"People in the 'Burg can be mistrusting of outsiders. And if she knows you're a SAD agent she may just clam up completely. I'm not even sure she'll talk in front of Carlos. I have an idea though. You can wire me up and I'll go over there by myself. You and Carlos can maintain a command post somewhere, maybe my parent's house, and listen in. I have her son Michael's phone number too, if you think that may be a better angle."

"Do you know Michael?" Anton asked.

"Not really. By sight, yes—he's four years older than me. Why, do you think we should start with him?"

"An ex would probably spill more, but if you had been close, I'd suggest him first. No I think your intuition is right: Mrs. Flumerri first—and you by yourself. Or with your niece here; older women love babies."

That wasn't a bad idea. Wondered if Val would let me borrow her for a walk?

While we were talking there was another knock on the door. Bobby got up to answer it. It was Ella with a cart full of salads and sandwiches. "Luis told me you were having a big meeting today. Thought you might need some fuel."

She was unloading platters onto the buffet table on the side of the room when she caught sight of Alexa on Carlos' lap. They had met at our house when we had our engagement party.

"Hi Alexa. Do you remember Aunt Ella?"

Alexa looked at her warily. She was all nice and comfortable in Carlos' lap and was wondering who would dare disturb her.

"Try Spanish," I said. "She loves the sound of it."

I didn't know what Ella was saying to her, but she started smiling and giggling.

"If she's disturbing your meeting, I can take her," Ella broke from Spanish to talk to me.

"I think she's fine, she seems to like men with muscles who can speak Spanish. She has a whole roomful here, but if she starts to fuss, I'll bring her up. Thank you."

"Before we break for lunch," White said, "I wanted to let you know what we have against Briggs. On tape we have him telling Cagiano to kill you if that's the only way to get Rangeman off his back. We have proof that he's been conspiring with the border patrol, who now seem to be working with us and we also have a few sexual misconduct hearsays that will probably be thrown out because they are third person. I'd say we need one more incriminating piece of evidence and he'll be going away for a long time."

"I think I have something," Hector said through the phone. "He and Albertson were talking about bringing something in on a boat. I tink either weapons or drugs. Or could be people. I have it on tape. I uploaded some video to our Rangeman site before this meeting. After lunch I tink we should look at it together. If we could get Albertson to cooperate maybe they can meet again and he can get Briggs to say exactly what they plan to bring in by boat."


	21. Chapter 21 — Rangemen to the Rescue

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for Beta-ing my story and deeming this chapter good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :)**

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 21 — Rangemen to the Rescue**

Hector and Tank hung up when we broke for lunch. They said they'd call back in about forty-five minutes, so I guessed we had that long for lunch. I was pretty sure we'd have to feed and probably change Alexa too. Maybe Ella could help with that one.

I took Alexa from Carlos while he grabbed a plate and utensils and made his way up the buffet putting a few things on his plate. Yep, we'd have to change Alexa.

"Carlos, I'm going to bring Alexa upstairs, she's wet."

"Babe, have you ever changed a diaper before?"

"Uh no, but how hard can it be?"

"Give me a few minutes to eat and I'll come up with you. Why don't you sit down and I'll bring you a sandwich. Tuna salad or turkey?"

"Turkey. Thank you."

I propped Alexa up in a corner and gave her Carlos' iPad to play with while I took a bite of the sandwich Carlos brought me. She was watching me intently, so I got the feeling she was hungry.

I reached into the diaper bag and took out her bottle. I wasn't sure if she could hold it on her own and was just about to put it back until I had a free hand when I saw a snack bag with little puffy star thingys in it. These weren't cheerios, or at least not any kind of cheerio I had ever seen before, but I guessed this was what Val said she could eat. I took one out.

"Alexa, do you want one of these?" I asked her, showing her the puffy star.

I swear she shook her head no and then pointed to my sandwich. Now even I knew that babies could choke on real food, so I was afraid to give her anything. Yet she was staring and pointing at my sandwich and I didn't want a crying scene again. Then I noticed what she was looking at. There was a piece of avocado sticking out of the back.

Avocado. Hmmm, it was mushy, kind of like baby food. Wondered if it was ok to give her a taste? I was about to call Carlos over and ask when David White sat down next to me.

"I think she wants some avocado, do you think it's ok if I give it to her?" I asked, assuming he was a dad and knew about these things.

"How old is she?"

"She's five months. Well, five months and two weeks."

"If she wants it she's probably ready for it, but mash it up good."

I hoped Val wasn't going to kill me. I took the piece of avocado out of my sandwich and smooshed it up on my plate. I thought her little mouth was probably too tiny for an adult-sized plastic spoon, so I put a little on my finger and gave it to her.

She ate it and almost took my finger with it. When I removed my finger, she pulled my hand back, I got the feeling she wanted more, so I gave her another tiny taste.

"I hope she's not too little for this," I said to David who was still sitting with me.

"I'm sure she's ok. My wife's been following this thing called baby-led weaning. It's supposed to lead to less obesity in childhood. Let her take that last little piece herself. I think that's the point. And if she's been breast-fed she already knows how to chew. My daughter won't take anything from a spoon."

What the hell, Val was going to kill me anyway, so I put the mushed avocado that was on my plate in front of Alexa. She was grinning from ear-to-ear. She stuck her hand into the green mush and then put her fingers into her mouth. She looked really happy.

Carlos came over to see what was going on and didn't seem at all distressed by Alexa and the avocado. "I remember reading something that said, 'baby knows best,' I thinks it's some philosophy."

David nodded. "It's called baby-led weaning. My wife's been doing it with our daughter. She's eight months old now and eats everything. Sweet potatoes, squash—all kinds of finger foods. I think she started around Alexa's age. I wouldn't be too concerned, but I would tell your sister."

"Babe, finish your lunch and then I'll show you how to change a diaper."

Oh boy.

By the time we got upstairs. Alexa was really wet. I think we waited too long. But at least it wasn't a poopy diaper, or at least it didn't smell like one.

Carlos explained the fine art of diaper changing while I watched. We didn't have a changing table or anything like it, so we used the floor. Basically he unfolded and stuck a clean diaper under Alexa before he removed the dirty one. He cleaned her up with baby wipes and let her air dry for a few seconds. Then he put the clean diaper on and closed the tabs. It looked really simple. Still I was glad it wasn't a poop diaper. I sure hoped that Val or Albert would pick her up before I had to clean up one of those.

When we finished my phone rang. I saw from the caller ID that it was Val.

"Hi. How's Lisa?"

I could hear that Val was crying. "Valerie, what's the matter?"

"They're admitting her to the hospital. Her fever spiked to 107º. They want to watch her for twenty-four hours. I don't know what to do," she cried. "They said I could stay with her overnight. Albert too. Can you keep Alexa with you? Plee-ase? Mom has Mary Alice and Angie, I can't ask her to take the baby too."

As I said before, my sister never asks for anything. I looked over at Carlos who of course was nodding yes.

"It's ok Val. Alexa's been good. And she loves Carlos. Of course we'll keep her overnight. I'll bring her to mom's when we go over there for dinner tomorrow. Don't worry, she's in good hands."

We didn't have a crib for her to sleep in or a car seat to take her in the car with us, but we had merry men, so I figured it would all work out.

Carlos picked up his phone and made a couple of calls. At least he knew what to ask for; I had no previous experience.

"Babe, our meeting is about to continue. I've got Alexa if you've got her bag and my iPad."

We gathered up everything and the three of us went back down to two.

Hector was on the phone, but Les, Bobby, Vince, Ramon and White were still out somewhere and Tank hadn't called in yet. I had a moment to talk to Hector.

"So while we wait, can you clue me in as to how you get into the Pentagon? It's killing me. You come and go like it's your home."

"Chica, who's on the line with you?"

"It's just me, Carlos and Alexa…the baby."

"Ranger will like this. On my first time in with the forged clearance papers, I checked out the duct system. I saw big ductwork leading outside from the main floor. I follow. There was a huge intake system and a smaller return. I see a camera, so I redirect slightly to obscure return. I notice trapdoor, so I open. Is overflow ducting that goes to outside. Is big enough for me to fit, so I rig door to bypass alarm. I change code and I in. As often as I want."

Holy shit. Hector made himself at home in the Pentagon. In and out in two seconds.

"Hector, that's just brilliant. Won't they notice that you changed the code?"

"Probably in the fall when they turn the system over to heat, but we be long gone. Or if I feeling generous, I'll reset before we leave."

"Make them sweat."

"Freeze is more like it. I see how I feel."

We heard a beep that someone else joined the conference. "Hi Tank. So far it's just Hector, Carlos and I. I think Bobby and Les are showing White around the place. Ramon and Vince are somewhere."

As I was explaining to Tank who was in the room, the door opened and all the missing people single-filed in.

"Everyone's here now."

"I asked Hal to queue up Hector's video," Bobby said. "We can start with that whenever you're ready."

"I was hoping we'd start there," David said, taking a bottle of water before he sat down.

Carlos was sitting near the controls, so he hit a button and the video began on the 50" screen mounted on the wall at the head of the table.

From the phone Hector was running commentary. "This is part of a long tape, but it's where Albertson knocks on Briggs' door. I didn't get there yet."

"Come in. I hope you used your QX SCI to get into the building. It's the only clearance that won't send out markers that we were here."

"I did. You're being awfully mistrustful."

"There is too much at stake. Come in. Sit down. Have you spoken with Fisher?"

"He's not going to put more men on a mission he doesn't believe in…you know that. Every time I bring up the coastal shoring he changes the subject."

"I think the only way we'll get the boat in is through Franklin Locks. It's in your jurisdiction, can't you put pressure on him?"

"OK," Hector said, "this is where I came in."

"You know he doesn't bend to pressure. You're a Colonel, why don't you talk to him if it's so urgent?"

"You have the better relationship with him. Just eight men and we'll be set. With eight men plus you, unloading the boat should only take seventeen minutes. The length of time it'll take to get through the lockage."

"What about just jamming channel 13? Then it wouldn't matter how long it took, especially if we made the last trip at 9:30."

"I want to do this in the middle of the afternoon. It's too risky at night."

"I have a face-to-face meeting with Fisher on Monday, I'll bring it up again. But I can't guarantee anything. My suggestion is to go at night with the men we can get and jam radio reception. Or have the freaking army change the rate of flow so it takes longer."

"What else do you have for me? Did you talk to Flumerri?"

"Yeah. Taking it in through the Eerie Canal will be next to impossible. It's too well manned. Florida is the way to go. I'll try Fisher again, but I suggest thinking about an alternate plan. We have less than a week, however we do it. I gotta go."

"I went into the stairwell when I heard him say that," Hector said through the phone. "We have more on tape, but it's mostly Briggs cursing out Albertson and Fisher. He left a few minutes after Albertson did."

Carlos turned off the video. "White, what do you make of this?"

"I'm not sure. It's obviously a covert operation. Briggs is running something into the U.S. Wonder if Albertson even knows what it is. If he's seeing Fisher on Monday he'll still be in DC. I can try to bring him in, but I don't want to do anything to tip off Briggs. SOG calling a meeting with Albertson will look awfully suspicious. I think I can get on Fisher's calendar though and maybe we can get the eight men approved. We can try to catch him in the act."

It seemed like we were close. Hector and Manny and Cal and Ram and the contract guys were still in DC. So was Jason for that matter. Seemed like we had a reason for being there. Suddenly a thought struck me.

"Can't our Rangemen personnel be the eight guys? Has Briggs met the entire Border Patrol? We have military backgrounds. Can't we fake it and fill in the gaps?"

Everyone looked at me. Either they thought I was hanging out with Alexa too long and had lost it, or they thought I was brilliant.

"Babe. That is a really good idea. White, what do you think?"

"I think Stephanie hit the nail on the head. Eight Rangemen can certainly do whatever it is that Briggs wants done. You'll be able to infiltrate, turn around and take in whatever it is that we're taking in. But you'll need to be prepared for anything."

Our meeting adjourned after that. We went upstairs with Alexa and someone had left presents at our door.

"They got us a car seat, but this isn't exactly what I had in mind for a portable crib," Carlos said, bringing everything inside. "I think it would be better if Alexa slept with us."

"Carlos, she can't! You know how you are in the morning. What if she moves and feels your…you know."

"Babe, nocturnal penile tumescence is natural. If she's been in bed with Val and Albert, I'm sure she's experienced it already."

"Yeah, but Albert is her father, you're just her almost uncle. And won't that give her, I don't know, bad dreams or something? Fuck her up for life?"

"Babe. I'm not going to come on to her. And although I love having sex with you as often as I can, I'm not going to do that in front of a baby either. A nocturnal erection is an organic, involuntary reflex. I can't stop it and I feel she'd have a better and safer night's sleep in the bed with us than in that cardboard and plastic carrier."

"What about SID? I'd be afraid I'd roll over on her. Come on Carlos, we still have time, let's put the car seat in the Cayenne and go out to Toys R Us. I'm sure we could find a portable crib that would work."

End of story. I wasn't going to be responsible for hurting my niece. Either physically, emotionally or psychologically. She could sleep in our room. She could cuddle with us, but I wasn't going to take any chances with her sleeping in our bed. Period. Over and out.

We brought the car seat down to the Cayenne and Carlos installed it according to the directions. I felt so much better already.

We got the perfect portable BabyBjörn crib. Then we made a stop at Val's house for frozen breast milk in case we ran out and to gather up some bath products and clothes to take back with us. No I didn't have keys, but Carlos could get past any lock. I'd just tell Val we were the ones who took the things. Although I doubted there were breast milk bandits out there.

As we were driving back home, I thought about Hector's video again.

"Carlos, remember when Briggs asked Albertson about taking it through the Eerie Canal? He said _it_, not them. I think whatever _it_ is, it's singular."

"Let's look at that video again after we've had something to eat. We can always call White and discuss it with him."

I felt bad subjecting Alexa to watching us eat again, so we opted to go home and heat up one of Ella's casseroles that we had in the freezer. Carlos fed her, as she still preferred him to me and she got a Spanish lesson while she ate. We both gave her a bath in our kitchen sink and we put her to bed while our dinner warmed up.

I honestly didn't know how Val did it with four of them. I was exhausted from just one temporary baby.

While I cleaned up the dinner dishes, Carlos went downstairs to make another copy of the video for us. There had to be a clue somewhere as to what _it_ was Briggs was bringing in by boat. And I wondered where _it_ was coming from? Aren't boats subjected to some kind of customs? And how are they checked? Or does Albertson's affiliation with the border patrol just let _it_ slip through. I'd have to ask Carlos.

I heard voices in the hall so I knew Carlos was bringing someone in with him.

"Babe I have Vince and David with me," Carlos called from the foyer so I could throw something on in case I wasn't 100% dressed. "We have Hector's video and David was able to speak with Albertson and Fisher. Want to join us in my office?"

I did a quick check on Alexa and joined the guys for whatever it was we were going to talk about.

"While I was duping the video, Vince knocked on the door of the tech room. He had the same feeling that you did, that whatever Briggs is bringing in is singular. And David called while I was in my office so I invited him to join us and look at this again. He's staying over so we can have another meeting in the morning. I'd have it now, but it wasn't planned and people have lives."

Wow. Carlos acknowledging that his men have lives too. That was big.

"David, do you want to tell us what you learned?" Carlos continued as we all found seats in his office around the wall-mounted monitor.

"Well, I called Fisher's office to leave a message and he picked up. Cagiano has been dealing with him, but he knew who I was and my call was not unexpected. As we assumed would happen Albertson and Flumerri have agreed to turn state's evidence in return for qualified immunity. Fisher wasn't up-to-speed on the latest developments so with Bobby's help I emailed him a low-res of the video we saw earlier.

"He had a chance to look at it and called me back with Albertson about a half an hour ago. Todd Albertson told us that Briggs is planning to bring a miniature THAAD missile to an area near Ft. Jackson in South Carolina. As you may or may not know Ft. Jackson is the largest initial training center in the U.S. with over 50% of the men and 70% of the women starting out there. This posts' primary mission is to provide the army with new soldiers and they train over 45,000 of them annually.

"We know that Briggs doesn't like anyone who deviates from his idea of what a soldier should be and unfortunately his idea is far from the norm. His idea seems to be a white male with a strong army allegiance. Notice I said _male_. With over 70% of the nations women soldiers on its grounds, Ft. Jackson is anything but white male. We believe he is planning to use this THAAD missile to take out the base."

"What's a THAAD missile?" I asked, breaking the quiet in the room.

"T-H-A-A-D. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense. This missile uses a 'hit-to-kill' mechanism to destroy its targets. It uses kinetic energy developed through impact, rather than a warhead. It's a very dangerous missile and the fact that he was able to get his hands on one concerns me. This particular miniature one is eight feet long and twelve inches wide, a perfect fit for a recreational vessel. I don't know why he needs eight men though. I would think four with a winch could lift it off of a boat."

"Maybe four in the boat and four on the ground. If they came into the locks with four or five men on board, shouldn't they leave the locks with the same four or five men?" I suggested. "The four on the ground are probably going to drive it to South Carolina."

"You're probably right Stephanie, I didn't have time to think it through. As soon as I had that bit of information I called Ranger. The good news is that Fisher has agreed to use Rangeman personnel to impersonate border patrol agents. We'll be able to control the whole operation. Let's just hope Albertson doesn't pull any last minute stunts."


	22. Chapter 22 — A Rose is a Rose

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

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Extra special thanks to Margaret for Beta-ing my story and deeming this chapter good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :)**

**And thank you trhodes9** for your wonderful suggestion. I rewrote this whole chapter to make it work :) Thank you, thank you. I don't want to give anything away, so I won't say what your suggestion was until next chapter. :)

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Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 22 — A Rose is a Rose**

"So I won't have to visit Mrs. Flumerri tomorrow after all," I said after we heard that Flumerri was also cooperating with the CIA.

"I'd like for you to keep your visit," Carlos said. "Maybe we can find out something we don't know. Any little bit of information can help us, even if he is promising to work with us."

Ok so I'd have to take Alexa for a little walk tomorrow. I hoped Val had a stroller at my mother's. The kid was heavy when you held her for any amount of time. We looked at the video once more and as it was ending I heard crying from the bedroom. I went in and picked up Alexa and brought her out to the office to calm her.

"She likes men with muscles," I said bringing her into the room and over to Carlos.

"I'll take her," Vince said. "My Spanish is so-so, but my Italian is pretty good. I think she likes the sing-songiness of romance languages."

I gave her to Vince, I mean if she liked muscles, Vince certainly had lots of them. I went into the kitchen to warm up a bottle and when I came back David and Vince were talking to Alexa in Italian and she had stopped fussing. Thank God for merry men. Well David wasn't exactly a merry man, but you know what I mean.

We talked about tomorrow's meeting and SOG, SAD and Rangeman pulling this all off. I hated that Briggs was so narrow-minded. Women, African Americans and Hispanics were the largest groups of Americans in the military today. If his bigoted view of things brought it all down to taking out a camp because it was 70% women, then I felt like I needed to do something. Wasn't sure what I could do, but I wanted to help.

"Is there anything I can do? Run some kind of distraction. Play little woman in distress or something?" I asked.

"Let me think about it Babe. He's a dangerous man and I don't want to put you in harms way, but if we can do it safely, that might not be a bad idea."

Alexa needed to sleep and so did I. After she snuggled into Vince, closed her eyes and fell asleep I took her and brought her back to her crib. The guys were still talking, but like Alexa, I needed to get some rest too. I washed my face and changed into my pjs. Carlos would come in when he could.

I didn't know when their meeting ended or when Carlos came to bed but I was awakened a little after 5 am by Alexa crying. Carlos got up and took her out of the bedroom with him to let me sleep. I assumed she was hungry, but I knew she was in good hands so I just rolled over and went back to bed. Carlos was used to getting up at this time anyway, and I assumed over the next week or so he'd be back to his 5 am gym routine.

I knew he still had a lot of healing to do as muscles, tendons and nerves didn't simultaneously regenerate, but he didn't seem to be in any pain and he had no noticeable limp. I thought about this as I was falling back to sleep and then I realized I didn't put the salve on his wounds again. Some nurse I was.

Carlos gently woke me around 8 am by coming into bed with me, and kissing me awake. "Babe, we have a 9 am meeting with the team and David. I let you sleep as long as I dared. If you take a shower I'll have coffee and breakfast on the table when you come out."

He made me smile. He was so good to me.

"Ok Batman," I said getting up. "Where's Alexa?" I added, noticing the crib was empty.

"She's on the floor in the living room. I have her surrounded by pillows and she's playing with my iPad. She's fine. I was going to bring the crib in, but I didn't want to wake you. Isn't it supposed to function as a play pen too?"

"Yeah, that's what they said. I think I'd feel better about her playing in this too. Remember what the salesman told us about pillows?"

Carlos took the crib with him while I took my shower. At least today would be our last day with Alexa. Things could get back to normal after this.

After I came out of the shower, I did my hair and put on some makeup. True to his word Carlos had coffee and breakfast on the table. Milk with two sugars for me, black for him. There were also toasted bagels. Cream cheese and smoked salmon for Carlos. Peanut butter and jelly for me.

After we ate and cleaned up, we gathered Alexa, her diaper bag and Carlos' iPad filled with baby apps and went down to the large conference room on two. I was surprised to see Tank and Lula there in person along with David, Bobby, Vince and Ramon. Lester had called from the road; he was stuck in traffic but would be there shortly.

I went over to Lula and Tank. "What are you guys doing here? I thought you were going to stay at the shore while Tank healed?"

"See no VAC?" Lula said. "We returned it to Thomas Jefferson Hospital in Philly this morning. They'll send it back to DC. Tank is going to get some spray on skin, so they're going to collect cells tomorrow morning."

"What?"

"The VAC didn't do what they wanted so they're going to harvest some stem cells and spray Tank's own skin back on. They told us he'll heal in about four days and that they should have done this at Walter Reed. They said the VAC is old technology and that he probably didn't even need the graft had he done this right away."

"You're making this up right? You can't spray on skin."

"Your ass I'm making it up. Check out the video on YouTube. Google it, you'll see."

While Lula was scaring me with Star Trek stuff, Lester arrived, Hector called in and Carlos called the meeting to order.

David brought everyone up to speed on Briggs' THAAD missile and the strong possibility of him planning to take out Ft. Jackson.

"I have friends there," Lula said after David's pronouncement. "Two women who grew up with me in the Coolidge Avenue projects are stationed there. We gotta do something. I lost enough friends to drugs and shit, I don't need to lose more to some sicko. What can Steph and I do?"

Lula was thinking like me. Good. No whacko was going to take out a military post of mostly women if we had anything to do with it.

"If our thinking is correct," I said, "he's going to use four or five men and a winch to get the missile out of the boat and onto a truck to drive to South Carolina with the other men. If we knew the route they'd probably take, maybe Lula and I could have car trouble on the road and they'd stop for us..."

"Yeah," Lula broke in, "and then Rangeman comes out of the bushes and takes him down."

I looked at her. Why Rangeman? What was wrong with us? We had the training. "Or we could do it. He'd never expect two women with a broken down car to grab him and take him to the ground. All the other personnel would be Rangeman and they'd have our backs if anything were to happen."

"Stephanie." I heard Carlos saying my name and using all the syllables, so I knew he wasn't pleased with something I just said. "He's a military man with most likely training similar to mine. When you can take me down, we'll talk about it."

"Can't Antonio teach us how to take down a military man?" I continued. "Briggs wouldn't be expecting us. We'd catch him off-guard. The surprise would be in our favor."

From the phone, Hector spoke. "I not dismiss Estefania so quickly. We can talk to Antonio and see what he says. She's right about the surprise element. One of our men can wear a wire and let Steph and Lula know how Briggs is armed, what route he's taking and if it's all too dangerous he can tell them to abort. I like our Range_women_ being the ones to take him down. Payback."

Yay Hector.

"Did we schedule our classes yet?" Hector continued from the phone. "We talked about having them at the shore because you would all be there, but you're all in Trenton now."

"We're heading back to the shore after my skin treatment tomorrow," Tank said. "My grandmother is staying with us and she's out there by herself. Well Binky and Chet picked up the rotation this morning, so technically she's with Binky and Chet."

"Stephanie and I are heading out after she talks to Mrs. Flumerri this afternoon. We haven't made formal arrangements for your classes to reconvene, but if we are serious about letting Steph and Lula try this, we need to get started with Antonio as soon as possible. Tuesday morning when Tank and Lula are back sounds good. Bobby, can you make that happen?"

Whoa, that was quick. One minute Carlos was against Lula and I getting Briggs and the next he was for it. I guessed Hector sounded convincing.

"Hector?" I asked. "Are you and Miguel going to stay at our house for the last few days of class?"

"I'll stay. I not sure about Miguel yet. But if we dedicate the next few days to teaching you and Lula how to take down Briggs, we still need to complete our course. I tink getting Briggs should take priority as they mentioned only having a week. Not sure what happens after the week. Maybe new soldiers come in? I tink we need to find out. I can stay till we certified, even if that is after we take down Briggs. I good."

That was good news. The closer we were the easier this was going to be. And I could practice techniques with Hector _and_ Carlos, if there wasn't any chance of my hurting him, after hours. And Lula was only a few minutes away.

I had my laptop with me so I quickly googled 'Ft. Jackson soldier rotation.'

"You're kidding?" I said, reading a newsletter from the fort that popped up.

"What?" Lester who was sitting next to me said, looking over at my laptop.

"This coming Tuesday there's a La Leche Breastfeeding support group meeting. Do they really let new moms into the military?"

"Beautiful, it says 'Army Community Service,' this is for the whole community, it's just taking place at the fort. But this is interesting," he said, pointing to another article called _Outprocessing Procedures_. "It looks like Hector is right, soldiers will be leaving for their permanent posts soon."

So we really did have just under a week to pull everything together. Getting Rangeman personnel ready to impersonate Border Patrol and getting Lula and I trained to work as a team to take this guy down. And Briggs' Article 32 was a little over a week away as well. We knew he wouldn't be moving missiles that day.

"Can we start tomorrow afternoon instead of waiting for Tuesday?" I asked. "Tank and Lula will be back at Lake Como and we'll be at the house. It seems like we'd be wasting a day if we waited."

"I still here with Manny," Hector said from the phone, "but Jason getting released tomorrow morning so we can move our operations back to New Jersey. I just want to take away the adaptor camera in Briggs' office. It's the most detectable if he looks too closely. Others are working fine and better hidden. I can go in tonight."

"I'll call Antonio and give him the heads up," Bobby said, solidifying our class schedule.

It would be fun to tag team Briggs. I just hope he didn't remember us from the glimpse he got in McHugh's office or seeing us in the audience at the trial. We needed to look different just in case. I guessed I could become a blonde and Lula could take out her braids and straighten her hair. We could do this. Distraction 101.

The meeting adjourned while I was mentally preparing how we should look. To me it was almost as important as the training. If something about us triggered remembrance, we'd be screwed.

"Carlos, I think I want to go blonde," I said as we walked from the conference room to the elevator. "Briggs has seen Lula and I and we need to look different."

"Well, I'm at least forty-five pounds lighter than I was at that meeting we were in with McHugh when he showed up for all of a minute. And I can straighten my hair and do extensions. I need a new look anyway."

"Babe are you sure you want to go blonde? Remember what happened the last time you tried?"

"It was my fault. I forced Mr. Alexander to make my hair lighter than he wanted to. I'll just listen to him this time. Or I could wear a wig. But they always look so fake. And with my luck the wind would be blowing and it'd come off. No, I'll just go blonde. Maybe you'll like it."

I'd call first thing tomorrow. Good thing he was located in a mall and his shop wasn't closed on Mondays. I hoped he had a morning opening.

Once we got upstairs we folded up Alexa's crib and put it in our closet. I gathered her things and Carlos' tube of the eicosanoid and we headed down to the garage. We had everything else we needed at the house. Bobby and Ashley were coming out to keep an eye on the guys anyway, in case we forgot anything. Rangeman was fully functional from our office at the house, including monitor watch if it came down to that. I was hoping for an evening alone with Carlos, but I wasn't sure we'd be that lucky. Seemed like everyone was antsy about Briggs' plan and I was pretty sure we'd have guards if nothing else. Still they wouldn't be in our bedroom.

When we got to my parents' house, my grandmother and my mother were waiting at the door. Guessed the child, grandchild, great-grandchild thing was operating. I had the diaper bag and plastic bag of Alexa's clothes and bath stuff that wouldn't fit in the bag, and Carlos had Alexa. She was all snuggled into his chest as if she expected to be there for a while. Too bad it was only a short walk to the front door. Poor kid, she was going to be suffering from muscle withdrawal soon.

"Well isn't this cute," my grandmother said, laying her eyes on how Alexa was latched on to Carlos. It _was_ cute, but never, ever call Carlos cute. He _would_ get even.

My dad doesn't get out of his chair for much once he's hunkered in, but when he heard grandma's expression of cuteness, he got up to see what all the fuss was about.

"Hey Pumpkin, Carlos. Hi Button," he cooed to Alexa. Now she loves my dad and usually she'd squirm out of Albert's arms to go to him. This time she just raised her head to smile at him and acknowledge his affectionate name for her; then she snuggled right back into Carlos.

"It's the muscles," I said in way of explanation. "And she likes the sound of Spanish. He can calm her down in under sixty seconds when he speaks Spanish to her. "Alexa, don't you want to go to grandpa?" I asked before she started World War lll. She shook her head no and burrowed into Carlos' chest.

"I told you, it's the muscles. She likes Lester, Bobby and Vince too. But I think she has a crush on Carlos," I added as an afterthought so my father wouldn't feel bad.

I wasn't sure what to do next. I didn't want my father to feel slighted, but Alexa wasn't budging. Thankfully a car pulled up and I looked out to see Val, Albert and Lisa parking behind us.

I guessed MA and Angie heard it too as they roared down the stairs to the front door. "Mommy. Mommy. Mommy."

"Hey Sugar."

Alexa heard her mother's voice and looked up from Carlos. Muscles? Milk? Which was going to win out? And the winner is…milk! Alexa went right to Val. I guessed food was a stronger motivator than muscles. Not sure about Spanish though, we'd have to try that later.

"I'm glad you all got here before the food got cold," my mother said.

Somehow I knew everything was still in the oven, but who am I to judge cold? My mother and my grandmother headed for the kitchen once everyone was inside. I figured there was going to be a little too much chaos in the living room so I grabbed Carlos' hand and we followed my mother into the kitchen.

"Can we help?"

"Set the table for ten and grab the booster seat out of the closet for Lisa."

"We're eleven mom."

"Yes, but Alexa doesn't eat. She'll sit on Val's lap."

"Uh mom, I gave her a piece of avocado yesterday. She practically took it out of my sandwich. Do you think Val will be mad?"

"I don't know. You were eating food at five months. And avocados are healthy, but tell her."

My mother was the second person to tell me to tell her, so I guessed I'd better.

We set the table and helped my mother take food out and then Grandma rang the dinner bell. Literally.

I don't know where she found an old school bell, but she was ringing it like crazy. "Chow's on the table. Come and get it."

Carlos was right; my mother made him roast chicken. So we had salad, roast chicken, pot roast, mashed potatoes, green beans and stuffed cabbage. Carlos had salad, chicken and green beans. I had everything. Dinner was fabulous and in between bites I told Val about Alexa's avocado and asked if I could borrow her to go to Mrs. Flumerri's.

Val wasn't at all upset. Thank God. And she even offered me the umbrella stroller in the closet to make my trip easier.

"We made your favorite dessert, Steph." My grandmother said after we polished off almost everything. "Too bad big man over here doesn't like _pineapple upside down cake_. I made him some fruit salad though, so he doesn't have to sit and watch us enjoy dessert."

I helped clear the table so I could sniff in the delicious scent of pineapple upside down cake while no was watching me. "God," I moaned, taking in the smell of sugar and syrup and pineapples. There was nothing that even came close. Well, hmmm, ok, maybe sex with Carlos; but pineapple upside down cake was a very close second.

Carlos caught me in the act. "Babe, what are you doing?"

"I'm just smelling. Come on; tell me this doesn't smell wonderful? God, pineapples, syrup, sugar…" I went off.

"Let's get this on the table before you hyperventilate. Want me to come with you to Mrs. Flumerri's?"

"No. I don't think she'll talk in front of you. If I went over there with Joe she'd open up; but she doesn't know you from the 'Burg. I'm sorry."

"It's ok Babe. I'm a newcomer. I know that. And most of the women in the 'Burg are afraid of my men and me. Somehow we've gotten a bad reputation. I think Morelli's to blame for that, but I understand. He saw how I looked at you…God, how I looked at you…"

And then he pulled me close and kissed me. Carlos' kisses are heavenly. And when he wants me to remember a kiss he puts extra special attention into it…this was one of those kisses. If we weren't at my parents' house I wouldn't be going anywhere, anytime soon. But I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and made coffee. Carlos helped me bring out dessert. I had a mission to accomplish.

After dinner I set out to Mrs. Flumerri's. I had Alexa in the stroller and just took a walk around the block. I was hoping she would be outside or at her door. It would make things easier than ringing her bell, but I had no problem doing that either. As I got closer I noticed her rosebushes were just about to bloom. Roses were always a good conversation starter. And then I noticed Mrs. Flumerri was outside feeding her rosebushes coffee grounds.

"Hi Lil," I said, using the name we all called her. "Looks like you're going to have some beautiful roses in a few days."

"Thank you. It's the coffee grounds. I never believed it until I started feeding them to the bushes. Look how lush everything is. But shhh, it's our secret."

She looked over at Alexa, who looked enough like me to be my child. "Did I miss something? Did you and Joe get married?"

"No. Joe and I broke up for good months ago, this is Val's daughter Alexa. I was just taking her for a walk. I actually wanted to talk to you. It's about a case I'm working on. Do you have a minute?"

"Of course, do you want to come in?"

I followed Lil inside. So far, so good.

"So what can I help you with?" she asked, bringing us both a glass of iced tea.

"Your ex-husband's name came up in a search I was running and I was just wondering if you've been in touch with him or know where I can find him."

"The kids stay in touch with him. Michael told me he lives in Buffalo, but visits South Carolina pretty frequently. Michael's in North Carolina, and travels to see his dad when he's down there. I can probably get a phone number. Do you want me to call Michael?"

"Please. I'd appreciate that."

"He hasn't done anything wrong, has he? You said his name came up in a search."

"I don't know. I try to follow through on all leads. He may know something," I lied, hoping to not raise her suspicions. She nodded and went into the kitchen to call Michael. She came back a few minutes later with a phone number on a piece of paper.

"Michael says hello. He sends his best to Val and your parents too. Here's Frank's number. I'd say let me know what you find out, but I really don't want to be involved with him. I just remain civil for the sake of the kids."

"Thank you so much. Good luck with your roses. I'll try coffee grounds on mine. I'll let you know what happens."

"You have roses?"

"Well Carlos and I do at our beach house. They're not as pretty as yours."

"Yes. _That's_ _what I heard._ You got engaged to that big guy. Ranger. Is that Carlos?" She asked being a nosy 'Burger after all."

"Ranger is Carlos, yes. And we did get engaged," I said showing her my ring.

"Congratulations. I hear he's rich."

"We're comfortable. Carlos likes cars, so he has a few of them. It probably gives off a wrong impression." I said, not wanting the rich thing to travel around the neighborhood if I agreed with her assessment. It was time to go. I got what I came for and now it seemed like she was trying to turn the tables.


	23. Chapter 23 — Things that go Boom in the

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

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Extra special thanks to Margaret for Beta-ing my story and deeming this chapter good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :) M-wha! Big kisses.**

**And thank you trhodes9** for your wonderful suggestion that Steph be the one to take down Briggs.

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 23 — Things that go Boom in the Night**

Alexa and I went back to my parents' house. I had Francis Flumerri's phone number, but I also had one tidbit of information: Frank _frequently_ made trips down to South Carolina. This would be good for the guys to know. Obviously this plan has been in the works for a while if they've been down there before.

I was trudging up to my parents' front door when a thought hit me; had Flumerri really switched allegiance to our side or was he just pretending? Seemed like if he was down in South Carolina frequently enough for his kids and ex-wife to make note of it, he was down there a lot and we needed to make note of it too. And aside from Ft. Jackson what _else_ was down in Columbia, South Carolina that would interest him so?

I made a mental note to myself to google the area and to let Carlos know my thoughts. I unloaded Alexa, folded up the umbrella stroller and put it back in the closet. If we were going to the shore we needed to get going or the day would be gone.

My dad and Carlos were talking about the Yankees in the living room. Did Carlos actually know anything about the Yankees? I guessed so. Anyway, I barged in and told him we should get going if we wanted to get out to Belmar while it was still nice out. My mom gave me a big chunk of pineapple upside down cake to take with me and my grandmother gave Carlos the rest of the fruit salad. I put it all in one bag and took it out with me.

It really wasn't a bad day; I don't know why I was so apprehensive about coming over. We said our goodbyes to everyone and went out to the Cayenne. Carlos opened the door for me and 'BOOM,' he was thrown about 10 feet onto my parents' front lawn. I ran over to him to make sure he was ok. My mom heard the explosion and called 911. Albert and my dad came out to help me, or at least direct pedestrian traffic until an ambulance got there. Mrs. Markowitz and Mrs. Ciak were already out and on their phones.

Carlos didn't seem to be injured, but you can never tell about internal injuries. I hated that a bomb that was clearly meant for me went off at his attempt at chivalry. Carlos was trying to get up, but I could see that his wrist was bent at a really weird angle.

"Carlos, please stay put, I think your wrist is broken."

Of course he didn't listen to me and got up anyway. He was on the phone with Bobby when the ambulance arrived. He sent them away telling them he was ok and that we'd go over to the ER on our own.

They left just as two Rangeman vehicles and a black and white came up to the house. It was Carl and Big Dog in the cop car; thank goodness. I went over to them and told them about the bomb. They called the information in to the bomb squad and Big Dog cordoned off the Cayenne, or what was left of it.

Hal and Bobby went to Carlos, and Erik and Caesar came over to Carl and I. I felt angry that someone would try to hurt Carlos after all he'd just been through.

"That was meant for you, you know," Caesar said when my mental musings came out of my mouth instead. "It was the passenger door that was rigged."

"It could have been both doors, did you check for additional bombs?" I said, not wanting to believe it was meant just for me.

At this point the bomb squad had arrived and Erik and Caesar went over to help them go over the car. I went back to Carlos.

"It's broken, boss," I heard Bobby say. "Let's get you to the ER. I'll call ahead and they'll take you right away at St. Francis."

Shit. It really was broken. As I just saw with my own two eyes, Carlos is not a man who takes well to being injured. Bobby, Carlos and myself piled into the Rangeman Explorer and took off for the hospital.

True to 'Rangeman gets things done' form, we were taken right away. Of course Carlos had been there before, mostly with bullet wounds, so they had his charts out and handy. Once I told them that I was his fiancé they let me stay with him… well until they were ready to set his wrist. A hand specialist had been called in and once he gave Carlos a shot so that he could reset the fracture, I left the room. I'm not good with blood or watching other people in pain and I especially did not want to see Carlos grimace when they realigned his wrist bones.

We left a little over an hour later, with Carlos' left wrist in a nice black cast. He said he had an option of colors and chose black. The cast would have to be on for six weeks, but since it was his left wrist, he wasn't going to be immobile; he just wouldn't be able to get it wet. The doctor recommended a waterproof cast cover for showers and the pool, so at least we'd be able to enjoy the summer at the beach house.

Bobby drove us back to Rangeman and on the way told us that _both_ doors had been rigged with explosives. He didn't think the force would have been enough to kill either of us, but there were enough explosives in there to do damage. He theorized it was to scare us away from something. Rangeman and the police spoke to neighbors, but no one saw anyone tampering with our car.

"Do you guys think someone saw me go over to Mrs. Flumerri's house and took it upon themselves to try to scare us off? Maybe they think she told me more than she did. I think we should have someone watch her house. She's a nice lady, I'd hate for anything to happen to her."

"Already done Bomber, I came to the same conclusion that you did and sent two guys over to discretely watch her place. Are the two of you going to attempt to go out to the shore tonight?"

Carlos answered for us. "I'd still like to go. We set it up with Antonio to come out and train Steph, Lula and Hector and I don't want to delay that any more than necessary. I'll take one of the para-aramid reinforced Explorers. No one will be able to rig anything in the Rangeman garage or at our house and on the road it'll be impenetrable."

"Are you sure you can drive? They gave you pain killers. Why don't you let Brett take you out? He'll be going on duty in about twenty minutes. He can leave you with one of the reinforced Explorers and come back with his rotation's car. I'll try to get a new Cayenne for you asap too. We'll para-aramid reinforce it before we ship it out."

I was digging through my purse for my phone when I came across the tube of salve. "Guess what I didn't have in the car?" I said taking it out and showing it to the guys. "Will this do anything for breaks?"

"If you could get it to the source, it probably would," Bobby said, "but there is something I read recently about Wnt proteins that can cut bone healing time in half. It can be delivered by a lipid particle. If you're really interested in healing quicker than 6-weeks, I'll look into having a shot made up for you. And while we're talking about shots…Stephanie, you're a little past due on your birth control shot. Why don't you stop by my office when we get back to Rangeman and I'll give it to you? Unless after being with Alexa for a few days you've decided to stop taking them?"

"How much past-due? We're not at risk for a pregnancy are we?"

"The shots usually last three months. I had you on the calendar for last week, but you were in DC with Ranger. I wouldn't be concerned. Just stop by my office before you head out. I'll have to give you a pregnancy test before I give you the shot so just be prepared to spend about ten minutes in my office."

"Ok Bobby. Let's do it now. Can you really get that lipid-thing for Carlos?"

"I'm pretty sure I can; but not on a Sunday. I can come out to the house with it tomorrow. Remember you invited Ashley and I out to oversee Ranger and Tank's healing. And being away from the office will allow Ashley dedicated time to pull together the Article 32 for Devon. We're set up to run Rangeman from your house anyway, might as well put the technology to use."

We pulled into the Rangeman garage, and all three of us went up to Bobby's medical office. He took some blood and urine from me and he went off to do whatever he did to them to check for pregnancy.

Not that I was going to tell anyone, but Carlos and I had sex a few times at the hospital and of course there was yesterday morning, and oh, the night before. Let's hope I was ok.

Just as I was going over all the times Carlos and I had sex recently, Bobby came back with a syringe in his hand. "You're good Steph. Show me the moon and you'll be good to go."

I like his reference to my ass and dropped my jeans for the shot. Bobby rubbed it for a few seconds to dissipate the injection and Carlos growled. Guessed he didn't like anyone touching my ass but him. He was beyond a jealous boyfriend.

Carlos had called Brett while we waited for Bobby to complete the pregnancy test. They set it up for Brett to meet us in the garage in ten minutes. We didn't need anything from seven, as we were ready to go to the shore directly from my parents' house before the explosion.

"How long will my wrist take to heal if you give me the Wnt liposome?" Carlos asked before we left Bobby's office.

"About three and a half weeks."

"Let's do it. That's about all the time I want to spend in a cast."

"I'll be out with the shot tomorrow. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get it in the morning and then I'll relieve Brett, probably with Hal."

"OK, thanks man. We'll see you tomorrow. Ashley too?"

"Ashley's going to DC tomorrow to pick up a couple of books from the Library of Congress. She'll be out on Tuesday. Take it easy with that wrist tonight."

We said goodbye to Bobby and took the elevator down to the garage. The elevator stopped on four and Brett and Lauren got on. Carlos hadn't seen his sister since before the incarceration. He picked her up with his good arm and hugged her hello; then he did that thug-hug man-thing thing with Brett.

"I was going down with Brett to see you. I just heard about your accident," Lauren said, explaining her presence in the elevator. "How are you doing?"

"I'm ok. I've been through much worse. I don't like that whoever set the bomb was hoping to get to Stephanie though. We're going to try to get prints off the remains. I understand congratulations are in order. I'm very happy for the two of you."

"Thank you. We're happy too. Carlos, do you think we could use your beach for our wedding ceremony? We have a catering hall not to far away, but we really wanted a beach wedding."

"How many people are you having? I think I'd have to get permission from the town if it's over fifty."

"It's over fifty. I think we'll have around ninety people if everyone shows. Mostly our family and Rangeman. Brett called his family and invited them, but we haven't heard a definite from any of them yet."

"I'll get in touch with the town. As long as they know it shouldn't be a problem."

"Thank you," Lauren said getting on tippy toes to give Carlos a kiss.

"Yeah, thank you man, I know it'll be a bit of an inconvenience as everyone will have to go through your house to get to the beach, but we didn't want to have it in a park and there doesn't seem to be any public beach access."

Brett had his arm around Lauren and you could see how devoted they were to one another. They kissed goodbye as if they would never see one another again. I guessed it was how Carlos and I looked to the merry men. Rolling eyes would be in order.

Brett got into the driver's seat of one of the newly enhanced Explorers and we took off for the shore. It was under an hour's drive and if there were no traffic or police gunning points we could make it in forty-five minutes…or less.

"You guys are going to be the first Rangeman wedding," I told Brett while we were driving. "Lula was upset when she heard about it. Her and Tank wanted that honor."

"I thought it would be you and Ranger that would want to set the bar."

"We're good with number two or number three or even number four. I'm seeing a lot of Rangeman commitments in the near future."

"I guess we're getting to that age." Brett said. "It doesn't mean we'll slow down anytime soon but our jobs are so demanding we want someone to come home to so we can talk about our day. Someone who'll understand."

I was nodding because that was how I felt. I knew Carlos felt the same way and I was glad that I wasn't just a line item on his entertainment budget anymore.

"Two things are bothering me," Carlos said as we drove along. "Number one, why didn't I smell that bomb? My nose is very attuned to the smell of explosives. I should have known it was there and disabled it."

"Bobby said they were plastic explosives. Maybe the plastic masks the smell?" I ventured. "He also said they were small bombs, not meant to kill, maybe there just wasn't enough gunpowder in them."

"Perhaps, but I've been able to sniff out plastic explosives before. I'm also perturbed that no one saw anything. To me that says it was the work of a professional. My gut is saying SAD. I want to check with White or Cagiano to see if Briggs tried to hire a hit on us again."

"Or Flumerri," I said. "That was one of the things I wanted to talk to you about before the bomb went off. I'm wondering if he's totally on-board with working as a double agent. Maybe we're giving him too many liberties. Maybe he needs to be watched more. His wife said his son sees him when he's down in South Carolina, which to me says he's been down there quite a bit."

"He _had_ been working with Briggs, so it makes sense that he'd go down to see the base, or whatever else it is they plan to take out with that missile. And I'm sure he's being watched very closely. Albertson too."

"I hope this doesn't change how you feel about me being involved in the takedown. I really want to do this."

"I know Babe. As long as you're trained and you and Lula stay safe, I'm ok with it. I'd like to be there, but I'll just have to watch from a distance. If he got wind that I was anywhere near, he'd abort all efforts. And we need to catch him. This would be the icing on the cake."

"Thank you."

"Why are you thanking me? You and Lula have been training for months, you've earned the opportunity."

"I still want to go blonde for this. Can we go to Mr. Alexander's tomorrow? I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get an appointment. And our class won't start until the afternoon."

"Sure Babe, but you need to take someone with you."

"How about you?"

"I don't want to take any chances if someone is targeting the both of us. I'd prefer you with Hal and Bobby."

"I can stay with you boss," Brett said, obviously listening to our conversation. "I'm in no rush to get back. Someone needs to watch the house."

"Our security system is top notch, the cameras scan 360°. I'm really ok on my own. You can go back to Trenton when Bobby and Hal relieve you. They're bringing out an extra car."

"We'll see what Bobby says when he gets here tomorrow. They may have learned some things over night. Rangeman never sleeps."

It was true. Rangeman worked 24/7. If something came up over night, fingerprints on the bomb casing or anything else, we'd know about it.

"We have bulletproof glass on the house and the best security system money can buy," Carlos said in way of explanation. "When I redesigned the place, I did so with a remote Rangeman in mind. Anything you have, I have. I'm more than fine on my own for a few hours. And I am _not_ an invalid."

My phone buzzed that I had a text. I took it out to look and it was Hector.

HECTOR: "I hear about the bomb. U ok?"

STEPHPLUM: "It threw Carlos across the lawn and he broke his wrist. It's been set, he's ok. We're going out to the house with Brett."

HECTOR: "Manny, Jason and me on a 7 am flight to Trenton tomorrow. I come out to house with Jason. He needs the eicosanoid."

STEPHPLUM: "Ok. I don't think I'll be there until around noon. I'm going blonde."

HECTOR: "To look sexy for Ranger?"

STEPHPLUM: "Ha ha. For the takedown. Briggs met Lula and I briefly. I don't want him to be suspicious."

HECTOR: "I think u'll look good blonde. I see u tomorrow."

STEPHPLUM: "ok."

"That was Hector," I told Carlos. "He heard about the bomb and was worried. He and Jason are coming out to the house. Jason needs some of the salve. So you won't be alone after all."

"That's fine. I was hoping to get some work done, but I can do it tonight."

"Can I help?"

"Sure Babe, we'll do it together," he said, with an evil wolf-grin on his face. Somehow I got the feeling the only work we'd get done tonight was busy work.

"I think I have another small jar to put some salve in for Jason. Do you think he plans on staying in Trenton for a while?"

"Bobby said he'd be starting at Rangeman the week after next. It's my guess that he wants to go back to Washington and take care of his affairs. He also wants to bring his plane here, so he'll need to fly it cross-country. We can make arrangements at Mercer for hangar space for him, but he'll have to get it here."

"Is it a jet?"

"It's a Citation. A small corporate jet. Some of the NetJets planes are Citations. I think you've been in one. They're a little bumpy by my standards, but it's not me flying it."

"Can you fly?"

"Of course Babe; so can Santos, Tank and Bobby. But only Santos has stayed current. Although with a corporate plane at our disposal, we can all get re-certified."

"Is it something I'd be able to fly?"

"With some lessons, probably. You'd have to get a multi-engine ticket first and one of the requirements for passing that is to be able to fly with just one engine. You'll need to put all your weight on the yolk and use a lot of trim to keep it on course with one engine out, but I think you could do it."

I had no idea what he just told me, but I always wanted to fly and the fact that he said I'd be able to, made me really happy.


	24. Chapter 24 — Booms, Bombs and Blonde

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

Sorry for the long wait between chapters. I live in NY and we were hit hard by hurricane Sandy. I had no power until midnight last night, but I was able to keep writing on my iPad. I'm just trying to piece the chapters together and should be able to post another shortly.

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Extra special thanks to Margaret for Beta-ing my story and deeming this chapter good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :) **

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 24 — Booms, Bombs and Blonde**

We made it out to the house without incidence. I guessed the shot they gave Carlos in the hospital wore off because I could see the pain written on his face. They gave me a few painkillers before we left, but getting him to take one was going to be another story.

"Carlos, I can see you're in pain. Why don't you take one of these, you'll feel better," I said offering him one of the white pills they put in an amber vial for me.

"I'm ok. I'll take one before I go to bed," stoic Carlos said.

"I don't understand why you're being so stubborn. We're home and you don't have to drive, just take one."

"I can't control how they make me feel. I'd rather not take one right now. I'll be ok."

Well at least I got an answer.

We made ourselves at home in Carlos' office and checked in with Trenton. Chester Rodriguez was on monitor duty and he said things were slow. Our bomb was the only noteworthy event of the evening. Carlos asked about prints on the casing of the unexploded bomb and Chester told him that Hal was working overtime on it. I knew he'd give it extra special attention. Hal was the best with pulling prints and finding partials.

Brett joined us while we waited to see what Hal could come up with and we spent some time talking. His family was having a hard time with his sudden wedding. He told them that he and Lauren have been in love with each other for a number of years. But since they had never met her, they thought she was just some girl he'd gotten pregnant and were angry at Brett. He felt bad that he'd even told them they were going to have a baby.

"Is there anything we can do? I wouldn't mind talking to them if you thought it would help? And Carlos is Lauren's brother, I'll be your sister-in-law one of these days."

"Thanks Steph, but they are just really old school. I think they'll come around in time, but maybe not in time for our wedding. I really hate that they won't be there to share this with me."

"Lauren said they just haven't committed yet. Are you sure they'll back out."

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure."

Poor Brett. I didn't know what else to say, so I changed the subject.

"Are you going to be one of the Rangemen that pretends to be Border Patrol?" I asked.

"I volunteered. It's up to Ranger, Tank, Bobby and Santos right now. I know what I can bring to the team. You know I don't usually toot my own horn, but I have the special forces background that should more than equip me to run or lead this operation. And I don't look as bulky as a lot of the other guys. The Border Patrol are not necessarily known for being overly muscular."

"Thank you for volunteering Brett," Carlos said. "We'll pull the team together tomorrow. As you know, Tank and I can't be involved in the actual operation and if Briggs' has googled our company, I'm pretty sure he knows all about Bobby and Santos. I'd feel better if none of the core team were part of the actual takedown. It's just too risky."

"Well there are no pictures of any of us anywhere, so it would just be a name."

"Except for me because of Julie, but I still don't trust him."

"Hey guys, I just remembered," Brett broke in excitedly, "Autumn's Food Network Special is on tonight. It'll be interesting to see if Amber was able to pull it off."

It was almost nine, so we went into the den and turned on the television. I personally didn't know the Food Network channel from HBO, so I let Brett and Carlos figure that out. I made myself comfortable on one of the couches and hunkered down for the show.

The first celebrity chef up was a guy from Maryland who did all kinds of things with cupcakes. They were cute. I liked his cupcakes that looked like birthday cakes with single candles on them—all made with fondant. Birthday cake is still one of my all-time favorite foods in the whole wide world, so of course I liked them. Autumn was up next. Well, not exactly Autumn but her sister Amber masquerading as Autumn.

"I prefer to take a more elegant approach to cakes and pastries rather than creating something that is too contrived," Amber said, sounding a lot like Autumn. "For a friends' engagement party, I knew her ring came from Tiffany's so I created this cake," she said, showing an exact replica of the Tiffany's blue box cake Autumn made for Carlos and me. It was so cool seeing our cake on TV. I took a lot of pictures of it, but now the _world_ could see it.

I was fascinated watching her. I really couldn't tell the difference between her and Autumn and she seemed to know what she was talking about. My sister could never fake being a bounty hunter.

Once she was off the air and they were on to the third chef, I took my phone out of my pocket and texted Lester.

STEPHPLUM: "Just saw Amber on Food Network. She looked good."

LESTER: "This is the 2nd time it aired. Autumn has been getting calls like crazy. People want your cake."

STEPHPLUM: "That was so cool that she showed it. Was that planned?"

LESTER: "Yes and Amber even knew the story. She would have made up something if she hadn't-she's a kindergarten teacher after all. She's good at fairy tales."

STEPHPLUM: "Let both of them know we saw the special and loved it."

LESTER: "I will. You should see what Autumn's got planned for Brett and Lauren."

STEPHPLUM: "Tell me."

LESTER: "Give it some thought and see what you come up with."

STEPHPLUM: "Lester that's not fair."

LESTER: "Think about it."

STEPHPLUM: "She's an accountant. She tries to keep things in the black and he only wears black. A black cake?"

LESTER: "Think about it Beautiful. I gotta go."

"He's so frustrating at times," I said out loud.

"Who are you talking about Babe?"

"Lester. I just wanted to let him know we saw the special and now he has me playing guessing games." I wasn't going to say anything else because Brett was in the room with us and I didn't want to give anything away in case the whole cake thing was a secret.

We turned off the TV after Amber's segment and went back into Carlos' office to see if there was any news from Trenton.

Chester was still on phone and monitor duty. Carlos asked about Hal's progress.

"He's here, let me put him on."

Hal got on the phone. "I've been able to detect partials even if people were wearing latex gloves, so it frustrates me that I'm not having any luck. I haven't given up, but it looks like TPD has. They've just handed over the remains of the bomb that did explode. I'm planning to go over it now. And just so you know, Morelli's on the case too. He wants to talk to the two of you. I'm sure he'll be in touch tomorrow."

God, not another Morelli interrogation. He isn't a bad guy really and we just had dinner with him, but he's a cop after all—and _we_ had a history. He'd be all over me for details. I couldn't tell him about Briggs and the Border Patrol and what we were planning on doing. Shit. What could I tell him?

"Carlos?"

"Don't worry Babe, you'll be at Mr. Alexander's tomorrow morning. I'll deal with him."

"He'll have some preconceived ideas. The Burg will have already formed an opinion. Mrs. Ciak, Mrs. Markowitz, Angie Morelli and Joe's grandma Bella will have spread some gossip around. I don't care, but you and I will be at the center of it. 'Bombshell Bounty Hunter blows up another car. Fiancé caught in crossfire. Death threats expected.' You know the drill.

"Babe, don't worry about it. I'll take care of it. If the media tries to pin anything on you, they'll have to deal with me."

That was the only thing that made me feel better. But I knew Morelli and if he didn't get a satisfactory answer from Carlos he'd get in touch with me too. Let's hope we could throw his scent off until after we took down Briggs. If any of our plans leaked out we probably wouldn't be able to catch him in the act. And to put that final nail in his coffin, we'd need to have a successful takedown once the missile left the Franklin Locks in Florida.

"Babe, it's late, why don't you go to bed? I want to give Hal some more time to go over the bomb that exploded and I want to talk with Tank. I'll be in later. Get some sleep. Tomorrow may turn into a long day."

I followed his advice and trudged off to the bedroom. I set the alarm for 7:00 because I didn't want to oversleep and that was the last thing I remembered until it went off in the morning. Carlos was not in the bed with me, and by the looks of the sheets, he probably never made it to bed last night. How was he going to heal if he didn't get any rest?

I got up and put on a bathrobe in case Brett was in the house with us and I went out to see what was going on.

The door to his office was open and Carlos was sitting at his desk talking to someone. I noticed a blanket and pillow on the chair, so it looked like he may have tried to get some sleep, maybe in the den. I made myself at home in one of the other chairs and waited for his phone conversation to end.

"That was Cagiano Babe. Briggs did not get in touch with him or Malone to order another hit on us. So right now we don't know where those bombs came from. He's got calls in to Albertson and Flumerri in case Briggs talked to them. He said he's going over to Chief Fisher's office first thing this morning. Albertson and Fisher have a 9 am meeting and he wants to be a part of it.

"This whole thing may escalate very quickly. White cancelled his flight back to DC last night and is on his way here with Bobby and Hal. Tank and Lula will be by after lunch and so will Antonio. I suggest calling Mr. Alexander right after breakfast and getting the first appointment you can."

While Carlos was telling me everything he had learned while I was sleeping, our security gate buzzed. Carlos leaned over to the video keypad in his office, looked at the monitor and buzzed someone in.

"That's Hector and Jason. Why don't you take a quick shower Babe? I'll make coffee and put out some food. We can talk over breakfast."

I took as quick of a shower as I could. I didn't need to wash my hair, as they would do that at the salon as part of my treatment later. But I did take a few extra minutes to gel it, put it up in a ponytail and to add some mascara to my eyes. A girl has to have some priorities.

When I came out I heard Carlos' voice in the kitchen so I knew that's where everyone was. We had a full house. Sitting around the kitchen island were Hector, Jason, Bobby, Hal, David, Brett and Carlos. I brought over another chair and joined them. Carlos poured coffee for me and passed over a plate of whole grain bagels. There was also cream cheese, smoked salmon and an assortment of other cheeses and fruit.

I did the Carlos breakfast thing and had mine with cream cheese and smoked salmon. I also took some fruit and settled in to listen to what was unfolding.

"Babe, why don't you call Mr. Alexander? It's after nine; he should be open. We'll wait for you."

I went back to the den and found my bag where I left it the night before. I pulled out my phone and scrolled to find the number. I noticed I had a message, but I'd get to that later. I called the shop and Sophia, his receptionist, answered the phone. I told her who I was and what I wanted and she asked me to hold for a minute. When someone picked up the line it was Mr. Alexander himself.

"Stephanie. Stephanie. Stephanie. We've been through this before. Your hair is quite dark and if I just use bleach, it will go a ginger color that you won't like. Now tell me why you want to do this and let's see what we can come up with."

I told him what I wanted to achieve and he gave me a ten thirty appointment. He was going to think about my request and make some suggestions when I got there. After I hung up with him, I checked my voicemail and went back to the kitchen.

The message was from Joe.

I was listening to my voicemail again as I took my seat on the island. "It's Joe, he wants me to call him," I told everyone. "And I have a ten thirty hair appointment."

"Call him back, we have nothing to hide," Carlos said. "Just don't tell him about Rangeman's involvement with the Border Patrol, or about Briggs' plan."

"Have you spoken with him?" I asked, wondering if Joe was just calling me.

"Yeah. Last night. We had a long talk around midnight. I think he wants to hear your take."

"Ok. I'll call him after breakfast."

I was helping Carlos clean up from breakfast when Bobby produced a covered syringe from his bag. "I got the Wnt lipids. I spoke with the head of Developmental Biology at Thomas Jefferson this morning and we picked this up on our way here. The shot itself is going to be a little painful as I have to give it into your abdomen like a rabies shot, but he thinks just one shot should do the trick. Why don't we go somewhere so you can lie on your back."

I didn't want to watch, so after Bobby and Carlos went into the den I went into the living room to call Joe.

"Hey Cupcake, thanks for calling me back. How are you doing?"

"I'm angry that a bomb that was meant for me injured Carlos, but other than that I'm ok."

"Do you have any idea who could have set it?"

"Well Carlos spoke with agent Cagiano, and it wasn't SAD, so we're probably ruling out Briggs," I said, careful not to say too much.

"That's what Manoso told me last night. Do you have any other ideas?"

"Well Kraven hasn't been caught yet, but he's not really a bomb kind of guy. And Carlos thinks he's living in Bergen County. Even if he did get the news that I was visiting my parents, Bergen County is about an hour and a half away. Not impossible, but not too likely either. I still think it was Briggs. He's angry that Devon's firm was able to dig up enough information to bring him to trial. I don't know who he's using or how he knew where we were, but that's my gut," I said, pretty much telling him the truth.

"I'm pretty sure the CIA is still watching him. If he ordered the hit, we'll know about it one way or another. Just try to keep a low profile."

"I'll be ok. I'm going to get my hair done this morning and Carlos has a couple of Rangeman guys tagging along. I'll be in good hands. Not exactly low profile, but no one would dare come after me with the big guys in black around."

"Call me if you think of anything else. And stay safe."

"Thanks Joe. Bye." Little did he know that I wasn't going to look like myself once I left the mall, or at least I hoped I wouldn't.

The guys seemed to have made themselves at home in Carlos' office. I mean after all it was a mini Rangeman in there with all kinds of high tech equipment that they were used to. Hector saw me standing at the door and came out.

"Chica, are you ok?"

"Everyone keeps asking me that. I wasn't the one who was blown across the yard and broke a wrist. Of course I'm ok. I'm just angry that we haven't caught him yet."

"We get him, don't worry. What did Morelli have to say?"

"Not much. He was fishing for information. I only told him things he already heard from Carlos. I need to get Bobby's attention, we have to leave."

"Carlos I need to leave if I'm going to get to my appointment on time," I said entering sacred territory.

Carlos broke from the guys and came over to me. He pulled me to him, lifted my chin and brought his lips to mine. Mmmm. It was a really good kiss, and obviously he didn't care who was watching.

Hal walked out of the room, followed by David and Jason. I knew Hal was probably embarrassed and I guessed David and Jason weren't used to our public displays of affection. I heard someone, probably Bobby clear his throat loudly. Guessed our kiss was even too much for him. We broke apart, but he still held me, "Babe, I can't wait to see the new you. I have plans for later," he added in a whisper.

I left with Hal and Bobby in one of the reinforced Explorers. On the ride to Quackerbridge, Bobby mentioned that this car was equipped with bomb sensors. These were much more sophisticated than the ones Carlos had had installed on any of my POS cars of the past. We'd be able to tell right on the fob whether the car had been tampered with. That made me feel better. We were after all, leaving it in a public garage for a few hours.

I was interested to see what Mr. Alexander had come up with. I mentioned to him on the phone that I needed a disguise for a distraction, and I was really hoping to go blonde. I didn't understand how Lula could go so light if I couldn't. Her hair was naturally darker than mine.

We parked right by the elevator and went up to the salon without a hitch. Mr. Alexander was waiting for me with a huge smile on his face.

"I have it all figured out. I'm going to do a Keratin straightening with lots of blonde highlights. The overall effect will be blonde hair and you won't have to worry about frizz, roots or going brassy after a few weeks."

"So my hair will be straight?"

"Only if you want it to be. You can go curly again quite easily, you just won't frizz."

"Ok, let's do it."

"We'll start with the highlights and once you're as blonde as I feel comfortable with you going I'll do the Brazilian straightening and maybe add a few extensions to even out your length. I do shape your hair for curls, so you may have some unevenness once it's straight."

I trusted him, so I let him get started. Two hours later I was blonde. Another two hours later I was getting a blowout and we'd be able to see the total effect of the straightening in a few minutes. If Mr. Alexander thought I needed some extensions he had them ready for me.

Bobby came over with his iPhone while Mr. Alexander was blowing me out. He was shooting video.

"Is this what Ashley does?" I asked.

"I don't know. I just assumed her hair was naturally straight and blonde. If she has to go through this to get that look, remind me not to go with her."

My hair was over my eyes while he was blowing out the back, so I couldn't see anything. I was starting to get nervous that I was going to be a frizz ball again.

"Bobby, how does it look?" I asked.

"Really good Bomber. I have video if you want to see it later. I think you'll be happy. I can see big missing chunks though, so I don't think you're done yet."

Oh boy, another hour in the chair.

Mr. Alexander had turned me around so my back was to the mirror while he blew out the front. After he was done, he took a scissor to even the sides out, then he faced me around to look at my reflection.

"Oh wow. I'm blonde. My hair is..._so_ straight." "I don't look like myself." "I like it though. It looks good," I said, going from one emotion to another while I looked at myself in the mirror.

"What do you think Stephanie?" he asked me, scissors still in hand.

"I love it. It looks so much better than I expected. I wonder what Carlos will think?"

"The back is quite chunky and uneven. I'm going to have to put in a few extensions. That should only take another half an hour and then you'll be good to go. Remember, you can't wash this or put it in a ponytail or use any hairpins in it for seventy-two hours. If you do, those marks will be permanent. Just leave it alone until the cuticle seals."

I could do that. I sat back into the chair and let Mr. Alexander weave in some light blonde extensions. They were much longer than the rest of my hair and gave me a look like a blonde wicked witch.

"You're not going to leave it like this, are you?" I asked nervously.

"No, certainly not. I need to trim it all even when I'm done. It's looking really good."

Every time he put in an extension, he pulled my hair really tight. It hurt more than I expected and I couldn't wait for him to be finished.

Finally he trimmed the whole thing even and I had straight blonde hair. It was several inches past my shoulders. He turned me around and gave me a hand mirror so I could see the back. It looked really, really good.

"Remember Stephanie, no washing, no ponytail and no clips for three days."

"I got it," I said, giving him a hug and a kiss for the new me. I paid for it using the black Amex card Carlos had given me. At least this one said Stephanie Plum on the front, so I didn't need to figure out who I was today and sign accordingly.

We took the elevator back down to the car. I was going to suggest stopping in Victoria's Secret so I could get some new sexy underwear to go with my new look, but Hal was looking so freaked out, I let the thought slide.

From the elevator bank Bobby checked the status of the car.

"Fuck," I heard him say. "Stay here with Hal, Steph, I want to look closer at the car.

"Bomb?"

"Looks that way. Hal call for a back up car and let Trenton know what's going on."

Bobby went over to the SUV and shimmied under. I saw him come up nodding his head.

"Yeah, someone was able to get bombs on all the doors, similar to yesterday. We're going to have to call TPD and have them dismantle this."

"Can't you do it?" I asked, knowing Joe would show up with the bomb squad if Rangeman called it in.

"I can, but we need this documented. It'll look better for our case if TPD shows up. I'll ask them to be discreet," Bobby said, taking out his phone and calling.

Less than ten minutes later two undercover POS cars showed up. I could never understand how the TPD could let some of their best detectives drive around in such absolute pieces of garbage.

Two guys I recognized from the bomb squad were in the first car and they got out and went over to Bobby. Joe got out of the second car and scanned the area. I didn't know who or what he was looking for and then I remembered the new me.

"Hey Joe," I said, walking up to him.

Joe did a double-take when he heard my voice.

"Holy shit Cupcake, I didn't recognize you. You look so different. I like this," he said, tossling my hair. "It's _very_ sexy."

I was hoping Bobby or Hal didn't hear him say that. I didn't want that comment getting back to Carlos. He just seemed to be too jealous lately and a comment like that could trigger anything.

"I needed a new look. Carlos' sister and Brett are getting married."

"Rangeman Brett?"

"Um hmm."

"Do I know Ranger's sister?"

"I don't know. She used to be their accountant. Her name is Lauren. She's really pretty. She has short, dark brown hair. Kind of looks like a female Carlos," I said, in way of a description.

"I don't think so. Does she live in Trenton?" I forgot for a minute. Joe is from the 'Burg and is just as nosy as every other 'Burger.

"Now she's living at Rangeman with Brett, but she used to live in New Brunswick."

"Well your hair looks really _hot_, hope Manoso likes it. I gotta go check out the bomb; don't leave."


	25. Chapter 25 — Who is this man?

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

Real life has hit hard again; my dad had a stroke last week and passed away yesterday. I wanted to post this chapter though—it was written and I may not get to the next for a little while.

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for Beta-ing my story and deeming this chapter good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :) **

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 25 — Who is this man?**

Once the bomb squad got the bombs dismantled and we gave our statements to Joe, we were able to go. Erik and Binky had each showed up in an Explorer. One was for us and one was for their return trip. TPD was going to impound the car we arrived in, but promised to turn it over to Hal to further check for prints once they were done with it.

Erik got out of the one he was driving and walked over to us. "Bomber?" he questioned, looking right at me, his eyes getting wide.

"Yep, this is the new me."

"God help us all," he said, almost falling over his own two feet while handing the keys of the car he was driving to Bobby and still staring at me.

I had texted Carlos to let him know what was going on and what was taking us so long.

STEPHPLUM: "Yep. Another bomb. Rangeman and TPD have it under control. I hope you'll like my hair."

RANGER: "Did U go blonde, Babe?"

STEPHPLUM: "Blonde and straight."

RANGER: "I loved your curls, but I'm sure I'll like it."

STEPHPLUM: "Mr. Alexander said I can get it curly again, it just won't frizz."

RANGER: "Best of both world's then. Can't wait to see it."

We disconnected and I left the mall with Hal and Bobby.

When we got back to the house Tank, Lula and Antonio our instructor, had already arrived—their cars were in our diveway. I really wanted Carlos to be the first person to see my hair, so I snuck into the house between the guys.

I heard voices coming from Carlos' office, so I assumed that's where everyone was.

I got out my phone and texted Carlos.

STEPHPLUM: "Please meet me in the hall."

RANGER: "Ok. Be right out."

I was standing just outside of his office, so when Carlos came out he saw me right away. I noticed him giving me the once over and then I saw his eyes darken. He closed the distance between us and pulled me to him. "You look ravishing, Babe. Dios, you look good. And _so_ sexy," he whispered, his lips finding my ear and then my mouth. He kissed me hungrily, running his fingers through my hair.

I was certainly getting a far better response to the blonde, straight thing than I expected.

Once we broke apart I attempted to talk to him. "Well let's hope it works with Briggs and that he doesn't recognize me. I thought I'd pair my new look with a little skirt or skinny jeans or something else to take his eyes off my face. Have you gotten any word from anyone? Do we know _when_ Briggs is actually going to try to move the missile?"

"We were just on the phone with Cagiano. He met with Fisher and Albertson this morning. Todd Albertson told the both of them that Briggs asked him to get a twenty-five foot fishing boat and register it in his own name. He gave him forty thousand dollars cash, but he wanted him to lease it as opposed to buy anything outright. Obviously he wants to leave a trail, probably thinking it will distract from his main objective.

"Albertson also told them that he still does not know the target of the missile. All he knows is that Briggs is planning to drive a truck from the Franklin Locks in Florida where they will load the missile from the boat, up to Columbia, South Carolina. He's assuming like us, that Ft. Jackson is the target and will play along. He said he even volunteered to drive the truck, but Briggs told him he'd rather have him on the boat."

"Who's going to be on the truck with Briggs?" I asked. "I'm hoping it's the other four Rangeman, who will be posing as border guards."

"We hope so too. Albertson told Briggs that Fisher finally approved the men for a shore detail and that the eight he asked for would be at their disposal. Technically no shore detail would ever involve a missile, so I'm wondering how he plans to make it seem legitimate. Oh, and just so you know, Tank, Bobby, Santos and myself assigned Brett to head up the operation. It'll give him a chance to show what he can do, although none of us have ever doubted his skills."

"Have you told him yet? I'm sure he'll be happy to hear the news. He was bucking for the opportunity yesterday."

"Yes, Tank and I just told him. Have you seen Tank yet? He had his own skin cells sprayed on this morning. He showed me his back and although he has a special mesh over the area now, he has been told it will not scar and he won't have to worry about any further grafting. It's truly an amazing technology."

"That's what Lula told me the other day. I didn't believe her at first, it sounded so far-fetched. But then she wanted me to look at a YouTube video, so I knew there had to be some truth to what she was saying."

"Of course some dermatologists are already looking at it as a way to fill in wrinkles and other skin imperfections, but I see it as a huge medical breakthrough. Tank is very lucky that Bobby has affiliations at Thomas Jefferson and that the hospital is one of the few in the country that has adopted the technology as a go-to approach for burns. Wished we'd known about it sooner and that he didn't have to go through that painful graft."

"The concept really is pretty cool." I added, my mind still on other things. "Well, I guess I should show everyone the new me."

I took Carlos' hand and followed him back into his office. Everyone turned to see who the blonde on his arm was and when they realized it was me, there were a lot of double-takes.

"Estefania, I like," Hector said, giving me the thumbs up. Tank nodded his approval. David smiled, and Lula came over to touch it. "It feels good and I like the color. I'm getting mine done tomorrow. Long and straight. We'll look like sisters."

We'd never look like sisters but I knew what she meant. I really wanted to get on to our tag-teaming lessons and be able to feel confident that we could take that bastard down. Antonio, Hector, Lula and myself picked up our stuff and moved to the gym. We'd use the sparring area for our practice as it was padded and we wouldn't get seriously hurt.

Antonio went over some techniques we had previously practiced that would work if we could catch him off guard. We had to be prepared for him to have a gun and to try to use it against one or both of us. He showed us a tag-teaming approach where one of us would kick the gun out of his hand while the other got him off balance. We had been shown before that getting your opponent off-balance is one of the best first approaches to taking them down and we both knew how to get someone to the ground from there. We practiced initially on Hector. When we could take him down as a team, with either of us disarming him first, we moved on to Antonio, who was built more like Lester or Carlos. By the end of the day we both felt more comfortable with our newly-learned skills. Although a full day of practice tomorrow would be needed for the moves to feel second nature to us.

Lula and I were ready to give it another hour when Antonio called it quits. "That's it for today. Too much practice can be almost as bad as not enough. Give your bodies a rest. We'll resume tomorrow. I'll be out around ten-thirty."

Lula, Hector and I found Tank, Carlos and Bobby standing just inside the doorway of Carlos' office. We knocked before entering in case they were talking about something we shouldn't be privy to.

"How did it go Babe?" Carlos asked, looking up for a second.

I imperceptibly nodded to Lula. If he had a gun in his hand, she would have kicked it out. I then got him off-balance using my shoulder and the two of us took him to the ground and cuffed his hands behind his back."

He looked stunned that we were able to execute such a feat. We did have the element of surprise in our favor though, as we would with Briggs.

"I'm embarrassed," he said, getting up from the floor once we released him. "I should have been more aware of my surroundings. I did tell you that when you could take me down I'd be comfortable with you going for Briggs. Obviously you've passed my criteria. Congratulations on a job well done."

We were smiling like two fools. Mainly because of the praise Carlos gave us, but also because with just one little nod we were able to pull off something we hadn't even planned. It was perfect. Briggs wouldn't stand a chance, and now Carlos, Tank and Bobby knew it too.

Hector was smiling almost as broadly as we were. "Chicas, you were perfect. This was the best takedown you did all day. You should have seen the looks on Ranger, Bobby and Tank's faces. I wished I thought to shoot video."

I was kind of glad Hector didn't record the takedown. If he had that on tape Carlos would want to destroy it...or Hector. And I for one wanted Hector around.

Jason had decided to stay with us for a few days before heading back to Washington State to get his affairs in order for a permanent move east. This was going to take a little jiggling around. We did have three bedrooms, plus a den with a pull-out bed in the main house and two other bedrooms in the apartment over the garage—but we also had Hector and possibly Miguel, Bobby and Ashley, David, Hal and now Jason staying over. My suggestion would be to give Bobby and Ashley the large bedroom on the other side of the house. I'd give Jason the one next to it, and Hal could have the den. Then I'd put Hector and Miguel in the master bedroom of the apartment and give David the smaller bedroom there. But so far no one had asked me.

Sal and Victor stopped by to pick up Lula and Tank. Tank's grandmother was still staying with them on Lake Como and they didn't want to leave her alone for too long. Tank still wasn't supposed to drive and hated to be shuttled around by Lula. All in all it was easier for Rangeman personnel to do the chauffeuring than to listen to Tank grumble about it. They'd be back tomorrow for Bobby to check on Tank's healing and for Lula and I to practice our tag-teaming.

"Why don't you bring your grandmother out to our house with you?" I asked, as they were packing up to leave. "I would love to meet her and I'm sure she'd rather be around people than be alone in your house all day."

"We tried to bring her out here today," Lula said, "but she insisted that she had reading to catch up on and was happy to stay at the house where it was quiet. I'll try to talk her into coming out tomorrow. She loves to cook. Maybe if we ask her to make lunch for all of us she'll come along? She makes a kick-ass cornbread."

"God, try to convince her. I love cornbread."

We said our goodbyes to them and I was daydreaming about cornbread, when someone mentioned dinner. Amongst the bunch of us, no one except Carlos was really known for their cooking, and he had one arm in a cast. I supposed we could all fit into the Hummer and take it to the Greek restaurant in Deal. It was 'protected' after all, so I quickly mentioned it.

"I think we should call ahead if we're bringing seven people," Carlos said, taking out his phone and searching for a number in his contacts.

"Seven o'clock is perfect. Yes; seven at seven," Carlos said into the phone. He turned back to us. "Ok we have a reservation."

I was sure people wanted to shower and get ready so I made my room suggestions to everyone. Carlos looked glad that someone had given the sleep situation some thought and I offered Hal the use of our shower first. Being he was stuck with the den, I thought that was the least I could do.

Carlos and I went back to our bedroom after Hal came out. A few minutes later there was a knock on our door. It was Hal again. I thought for a minute he must have forgotten something.

"We pulled the video from the camera that was near the Explorer in the garage. I want you to come and look at it. It's a little bizarre."

As we followed him back to Carlos' office, I couldn't help but wonder what he meant by 'a little bizarre.' I mean 'bizarre' just followed me around. Couldn't be any more bizarre than a six-foot tall rabbit or Nixon.

Bobby, Hector and Jason were already seated around the screen. Hal backed up the video to a time-coded marker and he played a segment for us. We saw a man walk over to the Explorer. He looked up at the camera and grinned right at it. He raised both hands and turned them around, as if to show the camera he wasn't wearing gloves. He then turned so the camera got a perfect profile of him. He turned back again and looked at the camera unsmiling. It was almost like he was giving us a video mug shot of himself. We then saw him waste no time putting bombs, each the size of an iPod shuffle, onto the undercarriage of all four doors. When he came back up into the camera's view after putting the last one in place, he waved at the camera and took off by foot.

"Who is that?" I asked. "Is that someone we know?"

"Erik just sent this to us. He went back to the camera after we left and swapped out the cartridge. We haven't been able to get an ID yet, but Hector just pulled stills from this video and is running them against the international database. Erik sent a copy of the video over to TPD when he sent this to us and I'm sure they're trying to pull a match as well," Bobby said. "That guy wanted us to see him. I think we should start with SAD personnel even though Cagiano or Malone weren't contacted. Something tells me that's another SAD agent."

"Or CIA," Carlos added. "Obviously he knew we had a tracking devise on the car. He seemed to be doing this just for show."

The laptop that Hector had running suddenly 'dinged'. "We have a match," he said going over to check on it. "Ranger was right. CIA. This is agent Jonathan Nielsen."

"David, do you know him?" Carlos asked the man walking into the office, towel-drying his hair.

"Yes," he said, pulling a phone out of his pocket and scrolling for a number.

"Nielsen, what is this shit you just pulled?" David said into the phone when someone picked up on the other end.

He put his phone on speaker so we could all hear Nielsen's response.

"Liked it, huh? How did you like me showing you I wasn't wearing gloves, or the profile? Come on, that was good, right?"

"I didn't see all of your antics, I'll look back at the tape later. But _how_ did you get involved?"

"Briggs called me directly. I guess he was tired of Cagiano and Malone not coming through for him. I saw the sensor on the car and just so you know, the small explosives I placed were all duds. I just didn't want to give anything away to Briggs. I get the feeling he is somehow monitoring our actions as well as yours and I didn't want to ignore him completely. I feel like we're so close to getting him. I actually thought this call was going to be him calling me to give me shit about non-compliance."

"He's in DC. We've been video-tracking him. How could he have known a Rangeman vehicle was parked in Quakerbridge Mall?"

"Obviously a tip. I know from Cagiano that a couple of the Border Patrol guys have been indicted and are working with us in return for qualified immunity. I think I heard that one of them is an ex-Trentonite. Maybe he tipped Briggs off to keep up appearances."

"That's Flumerri. We understand he lives in Buffalo—but it would make sense if he were physically here now. At least that would solve a couple of our mini-mysteries. By chance, Briggs didn't ask you to plant a similar bomb on Sunday, did he?"

"No. He just called me this morning and gave me the plates and location of your Rangeman vehicle at the mall. I didn't want anyone to get hurt in such a public place so you'll notice I disconnected the live wire on all four explosives. Did anyone get hurt on Sunday?"

"Ranger, the owner of Rangeman opened the door for his fiancé and was thrown about twelve feet. He suffered a broken wrist. We heard that the bombs on that car were not meant to kill. Strangely enough, Ranger's fiancé had just come back from meeting with Flumerri's ex-wife. It would be kind of ironic if he had been the one who planted those bombs. But so far we have no prints and no leads."

"Why don't you call Flumerri directly? I'm pretty sure Cagiano has his number. I was on the phone with him earlier and let him know about Briggs' request and my involvement. I'm sure he'd be happy to give you any information he has, including Flumerri's phone number."

I was still not convinced that Flumerri was 100% on our side and I was shaking my head 'no' while Nielsen was talking about him.

"Carlos, I don't trust Flumerri," I whispered while David was still on the phone with Nielsen.

"Babe, he's already screwed up his life as much as anyone possibly can. If he's playing games with the CIA and they find out, which they will, he'll probably wish he were dead. I don't think we need to worry about him one way or the other."

"I'm not worried about him. I just don't trust him. I don't think we should be calling him. I'd almost rather call _Briggs_ directly."

"I trust your spidey sense. When David gets off the phone with Nielsen I'll let him know."

While we were whispering to one another, David ended his call. "Do you want to call Cagiano to get Flumerri's number?"

"I have Flumerri's number," I said. "His ex-wife gave it to me when I was over there yesterday. Listen, I have a really bad feeling about him. I don't think he's sided with us and calling him might only help _his_ cause. Whatever that is."

Hal spoke up. "I have both bombs from Sunday. Someone wore double gloves. Anyone who would try to assemble a bomb wearing two layers of latex is either out of their mind or has a serious death wish. If it was Flumerri, I don't trust him either."

Well at least I wasn't the only one who felt that way.

In order to make it to Deal in time for our reservation, we had to leave. We could discuss this further on the ride or in the restaurant. Practically single-file, we headed out to the garage and piled into the Hummer.

When we got to Niko's we saw we weren't the only Hummer in the parking lot. It seemed strange because there are just not a lot of Hummers around. Period. Once we walked in, we saw right away who the other Hummer belonged to. Alexander and Homer Ramos were sitting at a table with four other men.

Carlos nodded to all of them and Alexander looked up. He stared at me for a moment as if trying to place me. Then a huge smile spread over his entire face.

"Chickie? Hey how are you?"


	26. Chapter 26 — Ramos' to the Rescue

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

And thank you for all your kind words and condolences on the loss of my dad. They all meant a lot to me.

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for Beta-ing my story and deeming this chapter good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :) **

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 26 —Ramos' to the Rescue**

I went over to kiss the older man hello. "Hi Mr. Ramos. How are you?"

"Chickie, are you trying to give an old man a heart attack? What are you up to?"

"I thought I'd go blonde for a distraction. The person we're trying to get has met me before and I needed to look different."

"Oh you'll be able to distract him alright. I almost didn't recognize you. And what are you doing with all these men?"

"I'm sorry Mr. Ramos, I guess you haven't heard. Carlos and I are engaged."

"Carlos Manoso? Ranger?"

I shook my head yes. "Yes, Ranger. We've been together for a while now."

"Well, congratulations! And please call me Alexander. Why don't you join us? We're finished talking business."

"Thank you Alexander, but there are seven of us. We can't just barge in and make ourselves at home at your table. Stop by ours before you leave though."

Alexander agreed and I joined Carlos and the guys at their table in the back.

"Babe, you were having quite a discussion with Ramos."

"I invited him to join us later. Hope that's ok?"

"Of course it's ok. Did he say anything interesting?"

"I just told him about our engagement and he congratulated us. He asked us to join him, but we're seven so I didn't feel comfortable. And I thought we had more to talk about and wasn't sure you'd want him to hear. He's still in the gunrunning business isn't he?" I lowered my voice to add.

"Yeah Babe, but he's mostly retired now. Homer seems to have taken over the gunrunning now that he's clean and sober," he whispered back.

We ordered dinner, some wine and a few bottles of beer. While we were waiting for our drinks to arrive I noticed Hector giving me some odd looks across the table. I shot him an 'ok, give' look back and he picked up his phone.

A few seconds later my phone buzzed that I had a text.

HECTOR: "You can use your relationship with Ramos to our advantage."

STEPHPLUM: "Meaning what?"

HECTOR: "He knows a lot of people. He can get to different people than we can. I think you should ask him about Flumerri."

I tapped Carlos on the arm and showed him Hector's text. Carlos looked over at Hector and then at me. "You invited Ramos over, want to invite him again? Maybe Homer too?" he said.

"Sure. It looks like they are done eating."

I put down my napkin and got up. I walked over to their table, leaned in casually and invited both Ramos' over to have coffee or another drink with us. Both accepted and said they'd be over in a bit. When I got back to our table our food had arrived, so we ate while we waited for the older and younger Ramos to join us.

The guys, except for Bobby had either wine or beer with dinner. Bobby had declared himself our designated driver for the trip back to Belmar. Carlos never has too much to drink and doesn't seem to even be impaired by what he does have, but he was one-handed, so I appreciated Bobby's offer.

I have to say our food was fabulous. Oh God. Now I don't usually like fish; but I love how Greek restaurants prepare Mediterranean sea bass, so I ordered it as my main. It came with roasted lemony potatoes; sautéed strings beans and a salad. It was heavenly and after a few moans on my part I had the entire restaurant looking in our direction. Oops.

We had just finished our main dishes when Alexander and Homer came over to our table. Alexander brought a chair over and sat between me and Carlos. Homer squeezed in on the other side of Carlos, next to Bobby.

Alexander congratulated Carlos on successfully stealing me away from him and the cop. Then he joked with me about sneaking out for cigarettes and ouzo next week.

Our waiter came by to clear our table and to take our dessert orders. Most of the guys ordered American coffee and baklava. However Alexander, Homer, Carlos and I ordered Greek coffee and I had my favorite Greek dessert, galaktoboureko. This is a heavenly combination of creamy custard and flaky phyllo dough baked to golden perfection then drenched in a sweet lemony-infused syrup. It has a yum factor of 20 on a scale of one to ten.

"So Chickie, is there anything I can help you with? What is this distraction you told me about? Is it here on the Jersey shore? Can I be of any assistance?"

"Thank you Mr. Ramos…" My thoughts, which were still mainly on my dessert, were distracted by Alexander Ramos butting in.

"Alexander, please."

"I'm sorry…Alexander."

I looked past Alexander and over to Carlos for help. Although I got the feeling we were going to try to use Ramos' influence, I wasn't quite sure how much information to give away.

Carlos took the lead and told the Ramos' about Briggs and our plan to stop his missile from getting anywhere near Ft. Jackson. I remembered Hector's text so after Carlos finished with the details of his and Tank's courts martial and introduced Jason to the Ramos', I asked about Flumerri.

"Alexander, do you know an ex-Trentonite, Francis, Frank, Flumerri? His ex-wife still lives there."

"Yes I know him. He tried to butt in where his nose didn't belong. I'm pretty sure I helped send him away. Is he another person you're trying to distract?"

"I guess in a way you could say that. He's a member of the Border Patrol and was working with Briggs. He promised to play a double-agent role in return for qualified immunity. But I just don't trust him. I've had a bad feeling about him since his name popped up on a search I was running and for about fifteen minutes we thought he might be my dad."

"You care to explain that one?" Homer asked.

I gave Alexander and Homer the abbreviated version of the misspelling, mistaken identity thing and tried to move on.

"Are you sure it was a case of mistaken identity?" Alexander asked. "Maybe Flumerri was hoping people would mistake him for your father. How many people know your dad's name was Plumerri before it was changed?"

"Maybe a handful. He didn't hide it, but he didn't talk about it either."

"Something to think about," Homer added.

I wasn't sure what to think. They could be right. An ex-Trentonite with almost the same name? Possibly he was trying to make my dad into the fall guy or he was trying to direct some attention away from himself. Either way it was certainly something to think about.

"Want us to make sure Flumerri is out of the way while you go after Briggs?" Homer asked.

"Uh, you wouldn't hurt him, would you?" I asked, not wanting to feel responsible if anything happened to him.

"If you don't want us to, we won't. We can just _detain_ him," Alexander added with a big smile on his face.

That would actually make me feel better. Flumerri was an unknown factor. I didn't want him showing up unannounced while we were trying to get at Briggs. And if the Ramos' were offering, I was accepting.

"Thank you. I'd feel so much better if I knew he couldn't interfere."

"Then don't think about it again. Just let us know when you plan on making your move and give us any information that you have on Flumerri and we'll take care of him. I have a little unfinished business with him anyway," Alexander added, handing me a card with his name and cellphone number on it.

I was sure he didn't hand out his cellphone number to just anyone and I felt privileged to have it.

"Thank you Alexander. We should have a plan in place in the next couple of days. I'll call you when everything's finalized."

"You can call me anytime Chickie. And if you can dump this guy for a few hours," he said gesturing to Carlos, "call me and I'll meet you at Sal's. They still have my cigarettes and a bottle of ouzo behind the bar with my name on it. And I'd rather not smoke and drink alone. My sons are still giving me a hard time and I'm not even on that medication anymore. Here's a word of advice: if you want to enjoy your old age, don't have kids."

"Maybe it's just your over-protective kids," I whispered to him, not wishing to believe all children were like his.

"They're trying to kill me off, I'm telling you. No booze, no smokes; they just want my money. Are you sure you don't want to marry me and move to Greece?"

"Thank you, but I'm sure."

"You love him?"

"I do. Very much."

"Well the best of luck to the two of you then. Dinner is on me. I own this place."

"Thank you so much and we'll go to Sal's once this thing with Briggs has blown over. I promise."

Alexander kissed Carlos and I goodbye with a kiss to each cheek and I promised to call him with information once we had it. He and Homer went back to their table and the four men got up to surround the Ramos' as they left the restaurant. I couldn't exactly see how he'd be able to help us when he needed all this protecting himself, but I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

About twenty minutes later we were ready to call it a night too. Carlos asked for the check and as Ramos promised, it was taken care of. For all seven of us.

As we drove back to Belmar I snuggled into Carlos and he put a protective arm around me. "Can we trust the Ramos'?" I asked into his ear.

"Yes Babe, Alexander always keeps his word. They will detain Flumerri for us while we tackle Briggs. And I see you got a phone number?"

"Carlos, please. He's an old man."

"An old man who just proposed marriage and a move to Greece."

"This isn't the first time he's asked me. I think he just wants to get away from his sons."

"Babe, you are so naive at times. He thinks you're a beautiful woman who would look good on his arm. But I understand other than money, he doesn't have much else to offer," he added in a whisper, nuzzling my neck and kissing that area just below my ear that always gives me goose bumps…and sends a rush straight to my doodah. God.

_**Ranger's POV**_

I had heard that Alexander Ramos was staying at his complex in Deal and when Stephanie suggested going to Niko's tonight I had a feeling he would be there. After all, I knew he owned the place. And I was hoping Ramos would extend an invitation to help. Not that we couldn't do this on our own, but their association with some of the east coast's seedier individuals could prove very beneficial.

I hadn't expected to see Homer there though. It seemed like the Ramos' had patched up their family feud. Homer had always been the scum of the family but I attributed most of that to his drug use. I had heard from a reputable source that he spent a few months at the Betty Ford clinic and kicked his cocaine and heroin addictions. He looked clean tonight and I noticed he wasn't drinking either. Perhaps he'd decided that living was better than dying. Either way, he was always the Ramos to most look out for and yet he was the one who extended the invitation to detain Flumerri. I needed to put my mistrust aside and accept his help, as the Ramos family's Florida connections with the under-belly of humanity were well known.

I had Alexander's cellphone number, but I was very surprised that he gave it to Stephanie. There are very few people he trusts; obviously my fiancé was one of them. Yes, I'm jealous. I admit it freely. But I wasn't particularly jealous of Alexander Ramos' affection for Stephanie. It did make me happy to hear her say she loved me very much and wasn't interested in his marriage proposal or in moving to his villa in Greece though. I'm not at all insecure but a man does need to have his ego stroked every once in a while. Well…among other things.

I have to admit, I had been worried about Lula and Stephanie's ability to take down Briggs. Had they not practically hog-tied me this evening, I'd still be worrying. Obviously Antonio is very good teacher and they did catch me off-guard. Shit, I must be getting soft; no one has ever caught me off guard like that before.

And what about that THAAD missile? I wasn't so sure Briggs was going to use it to take out Ft. Jackson. THAAD missiles do not contain warheads, they use kinetic energy built up from velocity to strike and detonate incoming missiles' warheads from a safe distance. That was what they were designed to do. It just wasn't practical for Briggs to use it to destroy the fort. But just what did he have in mind for it?

"Carlos, are you listening to me?" Stephanie asked, taking me out of my thoughts.

"I'm sorry Babe, my mind was someplace else. Something is not quite right about Briggs acquiring a THAAD missile. What did you say?"

"I was just saying that I was surprised to see Homer Ramos. Last time I saw him he was looking a little crazy and then he shot me in the arm."

"He's been through rehab. He probably doesn't even remember shooting you. He just wanted the money that he thought you had."

"Mooner's money."

"What Babe?"

"Nothing. How did he get out of jail when he told me he murdered Cynthia Lotte and he confessed to Joe that he killed Junior Macaroni?"

"Good lawyer and not enough evidence. What did you say about Mooner?"

"I never told anyone, but Dougie and Mooner found the gym bag filled with money. Cynthia threw it away at the car wash and the guys retrieved it. She told them to keep it."

"Another mystery solved."

"Carlos, what did you say about something being off with Briggs?"

It seemed like both of us were in rare form today. I wasn't paying 100% attention to Stephanie and she was half-hearing me. I hoped this wasn't any indication of what our life was going to be like in thirty years.

"Babe, I was just thinking. Without being retrofitted a THAAD missile is not equipped with a warhead. Briggs wouldn't be able to take out the fort. I think he has another plan for it."

"Like what?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but I want to talk to David and Bobby."

Even though we were all in the same house, we had called it a night and everyone went off to their respective rooms. I took out my iPhone and texted first Bobby and then David. As we all know many heads are better than one, so while I was at it I texted Hal, Hector and Jason. I suggested we meet in my office in ten minutes.

"Babe do you want to join us? Something is off and the sooner we hash it around the better. Ten minutes in my office?"

"I'm ready now, I just need to put my clothes back on. I thought we were going to have some time alone."

"Babe. You know there's nothing I'd rather do than make love to you, but this is important. Something is off. Will you take a rain check?"

"I guess that makes us even. Remember the time the Bond's office caught on fire?"

"I'll make it up to you," I promised her, pulling her in for a kiss and running a finger between her breasts and down to her stomach where I let my hand linger.

"God Carlos. Um, we have eight minutes."

"I like to satisfy my woman, Babe. Let's go out and meet with the guys."

Bobby and Hector were already in my office when we got there.

"New info?" Bobby asked.

"Missing info is more like it. Let's wait for the others to get here. I'd rather only go through this once."

Hal, Jason and David arrived while we were talking. My men kept military time and ten minutes was always five. Better to be early than on time. Late just didn't factor.

"I'm sorry to get you out of bed," Carlos began once everyone was in his office. "But I was just thinking about the THAAD missile and Briggs probable involvement…"

I explained what the missile was capable of and what it did. Also its range and lack of a warhead. Bobby, Hal, David and Jason who were all military knew as soon as the words came out of my mouth that something was off. Big time.

I noticed Stephanie had her iPad out and was searching for something online. She has a gut instinct almost as good as mine, so I was pretty sure I knew what she was looking for.

"Carlos, I have it. Tiangong-1. The experimental Chinese space station. The first Chinese woman to go up in space is scheduled for end of next week. It's the first manned mission to Tiangong-1. And knowing Briggs' obsession with women in the military this looks like something he'd want to shoot down."

"Babe, let me see that," I asked her, taking her iPad for a closer look.

This was China's bid to establish a permanent space base in orbit. It certainly seemed like something Briggs would be against: a communist, female ex-air force pilot who would be leading China's first manned space flight to their experimental space station. I passed Steph's iPad around for the other guys to see.

"This seems feasible," Bobby said, reading the news story. "But the one thing lacking is a warhead."

"Wouldn't necessarily need one if his main purpose was to throw it off-course and into an irreversible spin back to earth," David said, taking the iPad from Bobby to read the story himself. "And who's to say there wasn't going to be one on board? The Chinese government wouldn't broadcast that and it seems to me they would want a warhead or at least a missile with warhead capabilities onboard their space station. Maybe that's part of this mission. I think we need to put a call into the president's office or Petraeus. If something were to go seriously wrong, he could alter the earth as we know it."


	27. Chapter 27 — Putting it all Together

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for Beta-ing my story and deeming this chapter good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :) **

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 27 — Putting it all Together**

_**Stephanie's POV**_

I wasn't sure how I found that article about the first Chinese woman in space, but as soon as I saw it, I knew it was what Briggs was after. The guys seemed to concur and now David White was on the phone with the director of the CIA, David Petraeus. So what if it was eleven o'clock at night. The CIA never sleeps.

My gut told me we needed to get to Briggs as soon as humanly possible.

"Carlos should we get in touch with Albertson to see if Briggs has given him any further directions?"

"Babe, it's eleven o'clock at night."

"David is talking to the CIA director."

"That's different. This could very well become an issue of homeland security. We'll call Albertson in the morning."

David had walked out of Carlos' office to make his call and I could hear him pacing outside. It sounded like he was in the living room. I wanted to give him space to complete his call, but I really wanted to know what was going on.

"Anyone want hot chocolate?" I asked. "Looks like we'll all be up for a while."

Hal, Jason, Hector and myself were all takers and Hector followed me into the kitchen to help me make it. I walked as slow as humanly possible, trying to catch snippets of David's conversation with the CIA director.

"Chica, I know what you're up to," Hector grinned at me. "I'll make the hot chocolate, you can listen at the door."

I took milk out of the refrigerator for Hector and closed the kitchen door so I could listen from the other side without being spotted. Unfortunately I didn't hear very much and David didn't have his phone on speaker. What I did hear, I already knew. Suddenly I heard him say goodbye and I could hear footfalls back towards Carlos' office.

"Hector, let's make an extra cup for David too, he just went back inside. How are we doing?"

"We're good. I make five cups. If you have two trays we can each carry some mugs back. I know you don't want to miss anyting."

I pulled two black lacquered trays out of a cabinet and we put the mugs of steamy hot chocolate on them along with an unopened package of mini marshmallows, some spoons and a few organic oatmeal raisin cookies that I found stashed away. Carlos must be getting soft; he would have never let this stuff into his house before he met me.

The guys were still hanging around outside of Carlos' office when we came back with the trays and put them down on the table near the flat-screen. Carlos picked up the bag of marshmallows and looked at it inquisitively.

"Babe, where did you find this?"

"Um, it was in the pantry. Philipe probably picked them up for me."

I could see him almost grimace. I guessed the idea of something like marshmallows, which had absolutely no nutritional value, kind of hit a nerve. And just to prove it didn't bother me in the least, I opened the bag and dropped half-dozen on top of my chocolate and stirred them to melt.

Since no one was talking and I was anxious to hear what Petraeus had to say, I popped the question. "So what did the CIA director say when you told him?"

"He was angry that we let it get this far. He was pretty quick to berate Cagiano and Malone. I had to explain that we didn't know about the Chinese rocket and hadn't put two and two together until tonight. And by the way, Cagiano _had_ told him about the THAAD missile as soon as we knew about it. If he was so concerned, he could have pulled the plug on Briggs' clandestine operations a week ago. I don't know. He pissed me off."

"So what was he going to do about this?" Carlos asked. "Do we need to take the initiative and call the president's office?"

"He said he'd do it, but I intend to follow up with Janet Napolitano in the morning."

"Do you know her?" I asked White about the Secretary of Homeland Security.

"We've met. She'd take my call."

I was impressed. But then again I knew Carlos could get through to any politician or representative he needed to as well. Charlie McKenna, the New Jersey Director of Homeland Security has been up to Rangeman many times.

I decided to google the female astronaut while the guys talked and a few of us sipped our hot chocolate. As Carlos said, Liu Yang was a former Chinese air force pilot turned astronaut. What he didn't mention and I should have paid more attention to ten years ago, was that China was barred from participating in the 16-nation International Space Station, mostly because of objections from the United States.

I skimmed another article linked to this and I learned a few things: (1) The Shenzhou spacecraft that was launching next week was a capsule-based vehicle, but China's Shenlong space planes were much more sophisticated hypersonic spacecraft with drone capabilities. They would be China's answer to our defunct space shuttle program and their planes the equivalent of our X-43, with speeds reaching upward to Mach 10. (2) China's space program has military origins and they expect to use their space station to man space to ground military operations. (3) Currently American legislation prevents NASA cooperation with China on space projects.

China was definitely a country with aspirations.

"Carlos, Bobby, David," I said. "You guys probably know this stuff but I didn't." And I proceeded to ramble off all I just read. And yes, everyone knew but me. I guessed my aversion to the news was catching up to me.

"The military origins of China's space program were the main reason I thought this manned flight to their space station may be carrying a warhead or a missile," David responded. "We'll never know. They don't broadcast that information. We're lucky they let the story about the woman astronaut leak out. The Chinese are very closed-lipped when it comes to any of their government programs. Petraeus or Napolitano may know something. I'll see what Janet can tell me in the morning. Ranger, you might want to tap your New Jersey connections too."

Carlos nodded and I knew he had already made that decision. We sat up till around 1am going over our plans and throwing ideas at one another. I think we were all too tired to have any rational thoughts, but Hector and Jason kept taking notes. I wondered if Hector's notes were in Spanish or English—and with that thought I knew it was time to go to bed.

I had really wanted to spend some quality time with Carlos this evening, but I imagined a quickie would be all either of us could do at this hour after the day we just had. I imagined wrong.

"Who is this incredibly smart, sexy _blonde_ woman in my bedroom?" Carlos asked, pulling me to him with his good arm, his eyes darkening.

"Do I get more than five minutes?"

"I have no other plans for tonight," Carlos answered kissing my ear, his voice deep and husky with desire.

From my ear his lips found my neck, and then our mouths came together. His hands were all over me, his tongue exploring my mouth. Somehow Carlos moved us towards the bed and pulled my shirt over my head. He unsnapped my jeans and lowered me down onto the bed. He kissed and licked his way slowly down my body, unzipping and lowering my jeans when he got to my belly. He sat back and looked at me.

"Dios you are so beautiful Babe. I can't wait to fuck you."

"Oh God Carlos, now," I demanded, wanting him although I _could_ have been more aroused.

"Uh uh," he said teasingly. "Not yet."

Then he pulled me to him and somehow removed my jeans. I was just in my bra and panties and he was fully dressed. Well except for shoes. I tried to reach for him so I could unzip his cargos, but he held both of my arms over my head with his good hand and tortured me with his mouth. He was licking and kissing my belly just above my panties and I really wished he'd head south. Suddenly he turned me over and bit my ass. God that was erotic.

"You have the most beautiful ass in New Jersey. Perhaps the world," he said, running his tongue over my butt and caressing it. Then he smacked it hard. It stung, but it turned me on at the same time. Oh God, I wanted him.

"Carlos, lose those cargos and fuck me. God I want you," I said reaching back to feel if he was hard. He was. Very.

"All in good time, Babe. I need to taste you first."

He ran his tongue down my ass and he somehow took off my panties on the way. His mouth ended up at the entrance to my vagina. Then he turned me over. Oh my God, my juices were flowing.

"You taste so good Babe. Dios. I can't get enough." And his tongue was in me, lapping up what my body was doling out.

I tried to get his shirt off his chest. I wanted to feel his skin against mine. I reached for his cargos again to unzip his zipper. I guessed he was feeling my frustration and helped by taking off his own clothes. I reached for his very erect penis so I could feel the effect I had on him and suddenly he was in me. He was pumping me so hard it almost hurt. God I loved it.

"Carlos."

"Babe."

"Fuck me harder."

"Use your PC muscles, Babe. Hold me tight and come for me."

God the next few seconds were a blur. I exploded in such rapture. We hadn't fucked like this since the first time after the DeChooch bet. Oh my God. "Carlos. God, I love you."

"I love you too Babe. Forever."

I guessed we spent the next hour or so making love with and to one another. I knew I wasn't going to get enough sleep, but I didn't care. This night was long overdue and once again Carlos showed me what a fabulous and attentive lover he was.

Finally when we were both satiated, Carlos wrapped his arms around me spoon style and we both feel into a deep sleep.

As was not unusual in the days prior to his incarceration, I woke up alone. The sun was streaming through the large windows that looked out towards the beach, even though the blinds were still closed.

I wondered if Carlos had resumed his 5 am workouts? I was still putting the eicosanoid on his shrapnel wounds. Well I seemed to be forgetting to put it on more than remembering, but I was sure he was filling in the gaps.

I got out of bed, washed up and I went out towards his office to find out where he was and what was going on. No Carlos, no Bobby and no David. No Hal, Hector or Jason for that matter either. I opened the kitchen door that leads out to the pool and the garage beyond and I followed the path out to the garage. I opened the door and went up the stairs that lead to the gym. Before I even opened the door in the foyer at the top of the stairs, I knew where everyone was. The whir of machines was unmistakable.

I let myself in and just about every machine was manned. Carlos, Bobby and Jason were on treadmills. David and Hector were on those cross-trainer, elliptical-thingys that I hardly ever see men on and Hal was pumping weights. The room was filled with testosterone.

Carlos smiled when he saw me. He looked happy to be back in the gym. I finger-waved and turned around to go back to the house. Maybe I'd come out later, before Antonio got here, and go for a run. Right now there were just too many men in the gym for me.

I went back out to the house to put up a pot of coffee. It was only a little after seven and after the night Carlos and I had, I was surprised I was as awake as I was. Our house phone rang while I was putting water into the machine. I looked at the digital display to see who was calling us and all it said was 'blocked.' It was obviously some military or political person. It rang again and I answered it. There's a phone in the gym, but I knew no one was going to stop his work out to pick it up.

"Hello?" I was about to answer 'Manoso residence', but I remembered at the last second that the house and probably the phone were listed under 'Marc Pardo.'

"Is Ranger there?" a male voice asked.

"Who is this?"

"This is Charlie McKenna. Ranger left me a message about an hour ago."

"Hi. This is Stephanie, Ranger's fiancé. We've met at Rangeman. He's in the gym with a bunch of the guys, do you want me to get him?"

"It sounded urgent. If you can get to him, I'll hold on."

"Ok. I'll take the phone with me." I disconnected the handheld and took it with me back across to the gym. I opened the door and caught Carlos' eye again. When he saw that I had the phone in my hand he reduced the speed on the treadmill, stopped running and came over. He looked at me questioningly and I mouthed 'Charlie McKenna.' He nodded and took the phone from me.

"Hey Charlie. Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. We may have a homeland security problem on our hands…" and Carlos proceeded to tell Charlie McKenna about Briggs and the Chinese space station.

I heard him mention that David White put a call into Napolitano this morning and that a small army of Rangemen were at the house on the shore. Carlos gave him our address and I assumed he'd be out for a meeting in person sometime this morning. While I was listening the cellphone in my pocket rang. I pulled it out and looked at the caller ID. It was Joe. I didn't necessarily want to talk to him right now, but I knew how persistent he could be and if I didn't answer he'd try the house phone.

"Hi Joe, what's up?"

"Hey Cupcake. Ranger called me this morning. I just got his message. Your landline is busy and he's not picking up his cell."

"He's on the house phone with Charlie McKenna. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Ranger didn't go into much detail. He said I should call him. Charlie McKenna is homeland security. Anything I should know about?"

If Carlos had called Joe, obviously it was to bring him up to speed on something. I assumed it was probably the Briggs thing, but that really had no bearing on the TPD so I wasn't sure what Carlos was calling him about. I gave him a vague answer about Carlos and Charlie being friends and told him I'd relay his message and that Carlos would call him back.

I hung up with Joe and Carlos was still on our landline with Charlie. He looked up at me questioningly and I mouthed Morelli. He nodded as if he knew what it was all about. Sometimes it pissed me off that the guys were conducting business while I was sleeping and no one let me in on anything.

"Babe, you were in a deep sleep," Carlos said, disconnecting and smiling a 200-watter at me. I guessed I said my thoughts out loud. I had to learn to keep my internal conversations to myself. Well at least I could try. "Come with me back to the house. While I shower I'll tell you what's going on."

"Albertson called us this morning," Carlos began while I sat on the toilet sat during his shower. "He bought a used fishing boat like Briggs asked him to and registered it in his own name. He said he let Briggs know and Briggs told him to start playing the role of the fisherman. He's to put together a 'crew' of the border patrol men assigned to the 'shore detail' and start making 6 am shrimping trips. We briefed Brett and he and seven other men are on their way down to Florida to be the 'crew.' Albertson believes this is going to come together pretty quickly."

"And what did you want with Morelli?"

"Hal went over the tapes we took from Quaker Bridge Mall again last night. When he blew them up there's an individual in the background that looks very much like Frank Flumerri. Hal believes this guy who we think is Flumerri saw Agent Nielsen goofing off to the camera. TPD needs to know for two reasons. One to keep an eye open for Flumerri and two, because if anything were to happen to Agent Nielsen, Petraeus would launch a full-scale investigation into the TPD and they might not be as clean as they appear."

"There are no dirty cops in Trenton. I know most of them."

"I didn't say dirty cops, but we both know TPD overlooks some things. Before I had a license to carry concealed they let me slide…regularly."

"But that's you. They knew you."

"And?"

I had no answer. Of course he was right. It was against the law and they chose to look the other way.

"So what did Albertson say to Briggs? Did he agree to those 6 am shrimp boat excursions?"

"Brett and the guys will be there by 10 this morning. They'll take a boat out tomorrow—10 am is too late to launch and it will be noticed. They'll be brought up to speed in the meantime. You and Lula should practice once more this morning and be ready to go. I want you there by noon tomorrow should this take off sooner than we think."

"And where will you and Tank be?" I asked in case we needed moral support.

"We'll be here. We can't come with you. Briggs knows us. You guys are on your own.

Shit. Shit. And double shit. Not that we couldn't handle this, we could. We just wouldn't have our men with us.

"How about Hector? Can he be down there with us? It might be beneficial since he's been through the training with Lula and I."

"Ask him Babe. If he agrees it's fine with me."

I took out my phone and texted Hector.

STEPHPLUM: "Would U want to come down to Florida with Lula and I?"

HECTOR: "If U want me, I can be there."

STEPHPLUM: "I'd like U to."

HECTOR: "OK. When do we leave?"

STEPHPLUM: "Carlos wants us there by noon tomorrow, so I guess we leave early tomorrow morning."

HECTOR: "Are U going to practice one more time?"

STEPHPLUM: "That's the plan when Lula and Antonio get here."

HECTOR: "I'll be ready. Txt me if you need me."

I turned back to Carlos who was out of the shower and drying off. "Hector said he'd come with us. I know we'll be on our own once this gets going but I feel better knowing he'll be there for support if you can't be."

"Good. Let's put some breakfast together for everyone and formulate a plan. I called Tank, they'll be here by 11. Lula has an early morning hair appointment."


	28. Chapter 28 — The Gate Crashers

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for Beta-ing my story and deeming this chapter good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :) **

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 28 — The Gate Crashers**

By eleven everyone had arrived at our beach house: Tank, Lula and Tank's grandmother, Etta Mae. Charlie McKenna, the New Jersey director of Homeland Security, Antonio, our instructor…and unexpectedly, Joe Morelli.

Lula looked great. Her braids had been replaced by straight, glossy, black hair. It was cut with long bangs that tapered to the side and with her extensions it was at least three inches past her shoulders and blunt cut to perfection.

Although hindered by just one hand to work with, Carlos insisted that he was going to make brunch for all of us. I guessed he didn't get the memo that Tank's grandmother liked to cook. She gave him a stern glare and asked me to take her to the kitchen. Within five minutes she had thrown together a batter for a bacon, sweet potato corn bread and southern-style baked eggs with grits and spinach in place of the traditional collard greens. Etta Mae came equipped with her own grits, corn meal and sweet potatoes as Lula had asked her to come and cook for us the day before.

Tank's grandmother was adorable. She was feisty as all hell yet tiny, with wiry white hair and wire-rimmed glasses. I saw nothing of Tank in her except for her sharp, assessing mind.

Joe was trying to monopolize Charlie McKenna — obviously to try to pry some information out of him. If Joe would just stop playing cop for about ten minutes he'd be briefed like everyone else. Hector was eyeing him suspiciously and mouthed, "I still not trust him," to me.

Bobby, Tank and Carlos were having a mini meeting in Carlos' office and had disappeared as soon as Etta Mae took over kitchen duty. Hal, Jason and David were within earshot and talking about Brett's assignment. If Joe really wanted information, all he had to do was turn slightly left and listen. Sometimes he really pissed me off.

"Joe," I said, breaking in to give McKenna a chance to get away from him. "Can you help me bring some bottled water in from the garage? Carlos always orders these plastic-wrapped twelve-packs and they're a little hard to carry."

Thankfully Joe nodded and followed me out to the garage; Hector ten paces behind us.

Joe heaved one twelve-pack onto his shoulder and Hector took another. I didn't have to do a thing except point. Gotta love the Merry Men concept. Well Joe isn't exactly a Merry Man, more like a pain in the ass at times, but you know what I mean.

When we returned to the kitchen with the water, Tank's grandmother and Lula had everything under control.

"Tallulah," she called to Lula, using her full name, "Can you help me get the grits on plates?"

Suddenly shots rang out. The windows in the front of our house were sprayed with bullets. Thankfully no one was in the living room. Hector punched something into one of the video keypads and lowered the para-aramid shades.

The gym was hit too—someone had to be using a gun with a scope to be able to see past the house and into the gym. The house went into shut down mode. Joe called the assault into the Belmar PD and Hal got Manny who was on monitor duty in Trenton via a keypad connection.

"Manny, were we the only ones hit or is Trenton under siege too?"

"Trenton is fine, but two of those ex-Army Rangers we've had men on in Miami were hit at just about the same time your call came in. Shit. The Philly guy's house just went off the grid."

I didn't know what it took to go off the grid. I assumed something like total electrical failure or destruction. This wasn't good.

Carlos, Bobby and Tank had a trap door in the foyer open and were scrambling up a lowered staircase. I didn't even know we _had_ an attic. I wondered what was up there? Battle stations? Viewing areas? Obviously something they could use to counter the attack.

Hal and Hector's iPhone's both buzzed at the same time and I saw both men make their way over to the staircase in the foyer and scramble up. I suddenly remembered Tank's grandmother. The rest of us were used to anything from fire-bombings to full-scale invasions, but she'd never been subjected to this before. I hoped she was ok. I made my way back to the kitchen to try to reassure her.

Lula, Jason and Charlie McKenna were at the breakfast bar with Etta Mae. She seemed relatively calm and was telling everyone a story about the bloody race riots she witnessed in Biloxi in the 1960s. I guessed she'd seen more than I thought she did.

"I was Dr. Mason's receptionist. I saw him bring in eight men so bloodied I didn't recognize them. We took care of every one of them before he let me help him take care of his own wounds," she said, reliving one of the wade-ins during the '60s and '70s to desegregate Mississippi's beaches.

Yep, Tank's grandmother was a strong woman; this wasn't going to affect her the way I thought it might.

I heard Manny's voice come over the video keypad in the kitchen. "Tank's house was just hit too. I hope no one was there."

I went over to the keypad to let Manny know that Tank, Lula and Etta Mae were with us when Jason leapt from the table and grabbed my wrist.

"Don't touch that. It's wired into the electrical system. We don't know who we are dealing with and what their capabilities are. Let Ranger answer that remotely."

For a minute I thought Jason was on Briggs' side and was preventing me from communicating with Trenton. Before I had a chance to use my newly honed skills on him and take him down, I realized he was right. I could have been electrocuted.

David, Antonio and Joe came running into the kitchen after hearing Jason's outburst.

"Jason's right, don't touch that," David said.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I just wanted to let Manny know that everyone from Tank's house was here and ok."

"Taken care of, I called it in," David answered. "Ranger has a positive ID on one of the guys in the van outside. It's Flumerri. We have our sites set on him. One more shot at the house and we'll fire back. The Belmar PD and one of the Rangeman patrols in the area are just blocks away. We're hoping to surround them and take them alive."

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I didn't recognize the number on the caller ID and I guessed it wasn't plugged into my phone's contact list or a name would have popped up. But as it was a local number I answered.

"Chickie are you ok?"

It was Alexander Ramos.

"Hi Alexander. We're under some kind of attack; but we're all ok. How did you know?"

"Ranger just sent me Flumerri's picture to verify his ID. Homer and a couple of our guys are on their way over to help secure your house."

"Uh, maybe that's not a good idea. The police have been called. I don't want you to blow your cover."

"It's ok Chickie. We know Captain Sprano and Sergeant Garcia. We've worked together before. And unfortunately it's _your_ cover that will be blown."

Shit, I forgot about that. We we're supposed to be the Pardos'. I guessed Alexander Ramos knew all about that too.

Damn. "Well it looks like there's no way around that now. It's probably all for the best that the police know who we really are." And for my mental health, which I didn't say out loud, but thought about often. It was certainly easier now that I wasn't wearing those pimped-out rings, but one of these days I was going to screw up.

Manny's voice through the keypad shattered my thoughts about Samantha Pardo. "Just got a call. The ex-Ranger we're watching in Boston was hit. Unfortunately it was a single-bullet sniper attack and they got him. He's dead."

Shit. I really hoped our Rangeman vehicle and the police would get here soon. We really needed to know what was going on and get Flumerri to talk.

"Alexander, I just heard from Trenton, they've killed one of the guys Rangeman's been watching. Is Homer nearby?"

"Hold on." I could hear Alexander Ramos pick up another phone and then a short muffled conversation. "He's about two minutes away. Ranger wanted him to come in through the beach. There are no roads so it's taking him a while."

I thanked Alexander and we hung up. I heard some more gunshots coming from outside. David said that we'd fire back if provoked again. I wondered why I wasn't hearing us return the fire.

"David, are you in contact with them? Do you know what's happening?" I asked. "Why aren't we shooting back?"

"The police just arrived from the left, Rangeman from the right," David said looking at a video on his iPhone. "The Ramos SUV is just coming around from the back of the house. We have Flumerri surrounded. My take is that he just shot at the Rangeman vehicle."

"What are you looking at? Can I get that on my phone too?" I asked, taking out my iPhone.

"It's a live video feed from your security cameras. I think you have the app too; it's one of Hector's. Just look for it."

It was easier to look over David's shoulder. So along with Jason, Lula and Joe that's what I did.

The police got out of their car. The white van that I assumed was Flumerri's backed up and it looked like they were trying to get away in reverse. Suddenly the driver changed direction and the car came forward fast. Right into our wall. I didn't know how many people were in the SUV, but it was definitely a suicide attempt. The front of the car was pancaked into our wall and all of our video keypads were screaming, "Breach."

I got up to go towards the front door. Obviously the threat was over.

"Stephanie, stay here," Jason yelled. "We don't know how many are still alive. They'll fire if they see you. Let the police handle this."

I had assumed no one would be able to survive that impact, but Jason was right, so I held back.

Tank, Carlos, Bobby, Hal and Hector made their way down the stairs as I stood staring towards our front door.

Carlos came over to me and wrapped his arms around me. He just held me close for a few seconds, kissing the top of my head. I saw him glance down at his iPhone, which was in his good hand. "I think someone's alive Babe. The police just called for a couple of ambulances."

Tank had just opened the front door when a shot rang out. From Carlos' phone I saw one of the police officers fall back sharply. He had obviously been shot in the chest by one of the guys still in the van. I heard another shot. Then nothing.

The guys were all wearing vests, so when Tank, Hal, Bobby and Hector ran down our driveway with their guns drawn, no one stopped them. Although Joe wasn't wearing a vest, he followed them out.

Carlos pulled me to him once more. "We were in my office when the first shots rang out. I knew you were going over to the garage to bring back some water. I was so afraid that someone shot you. Hector told me over and over again that you were safe, but I didn't believe him until I saw you. Dios, I was so afraid that you were hurt…or worse."

"It's ok Carlos. I'm here and I'm ok. We got back to the house just as the first shot hit the garage. I was never in any danger. Let's go outside and see what's going on."

"You're not wearing a vest. Here take mine," he said, taking off his Kevlar vest, putting it over my shoulders and tightening the straps.

"Well now you don't have one."

"I'll be ok, Babe."

"Carlos, you know how you felt when you thought something happened to me? That's how I'd feel if something were to happen to you. Please take a vest from the kitchen before we go out. You are one of Briggs' targets and he's already killed at least one of his others."

I didn't think Carlos was going to listen to me…but he did. He still had his arm around me, but he steered us around towards the kitchen where we had a few Kevlar vests stashed in the closet by the door that leads out to the garage. After he put one on, we walked back towards our front door.

The street is a few hundred feet down a curved path. The guys ran it regularly and I thought Carlos would burst into a sprint, but he didn't. He took my hand and we walked out to the street together. Notably, the Ramos' SUV was nowhere to be seen.

Two ambulances were arriving as we approached our gate, which was now open. I saw the ER technicians from the first ambulance make their way over to the downed police officer. Bobby and one of the Rangemen that answered the call were already attending to him and he was trying to get up on his own. Thankfully he was still alive. The paramedics put a neck brace on him and got him onto a stretcher.

The technicians from the second ambulance walked over towards the crumbled van, stretcher in hand. I heard Tank tell them that the two men in the front seats were dead, but that the two in the back were still breathing, although one suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head.

I couldn't tell from all the blood, but I thought Flumerri was the gun shot victim. The paramedics applied pressure to his head wound, put a neck brace on him and carefully put him on a stretcher. During all of this, another ambulance had been called to the scene and it arrived as the first one sped off, sirens blaring.

The other man in the back seat was carefully extracted, stabilized with a neck brace and lifted onto the third stretcher.

Carlos and I turned around and walked back to our house. I looked back and saw Tank, Bobby, Hector and Hal following us. There was nothing we'd be able to do until one of the men came to, if one ever did.

Joe stayed outside where a county morgue van and a flat bed truck arrived simultaneously to take away the remains — both human and mechanical. He certainly did not have a glamorous job and I felt sorry for him at times like this.

Tank's grandmother had resurrected brunch and had it sitting out for us when we returned. I wasn't particularly hungry, but it smelled really good so I had to at least try a little of everything. I put some of the baked eggs, grits and spinach on a plate along with a decent-sized hunk of cornbread and sat down at our breakfast bar. A cup of coffee made just the way I liked it, miraculously appeared in front of me as Carlos sat down next to me.

I just about moaned when I took a bite of the cornbread. Lula was right; Etta Mae's cooking was to die for. Um, maybe that statement was a little too apropos for the moment. But it was fabulous.

After everyone settled down and had something to eat, Carlos called a meeting together. No one was uninvited, not even Etta Mae or Antonio and the impromptu meeting took place in our kitchen. Carlos tapped in Lester and Manny in Trenton and quickly brought them up to speed.

David had called the SOG office and we learned that there were attacks on the men in the mid west as well. All of Briggs' targets were hit at about the same time, so obviously more than just Flumerri and Briggs were involved in this game.

Unfortunately there were two casualties amongst the ex-Rangers: the man in Boston who was hit by a sniper's bullet and one of the men in the mid west, who met a similar fate. To our knowledge there were only two fatalities amongst our enemies, the two men in the front seat of the van that careened into our wall. Both men in the back were still alive, although the gunshot victim was on life support. No one would be able to talk to us for a while.

Charlie McKenna had been brought up to speed separately as the missile in Florida was still a piece of the pie we needed to deal with and possibly a real threat to homeland security. His phone rang while we were in the kitchen winding down our meeting and he excused himself to take the call in Carlos' office. Obviously it was someone important. He came back while we were just finishing up.

"That was Janet Napolitano. She said she spoke with White early this morning and just got a call from Petraeus. She knew nothing about the attacks on the ex-Army Rangers, so I took her through what we do know. She's concerned about Stephanie and Lula's ability to take down Briggs and wants CIA involvement. David, she wants you to call her."

I felt like the wind was being taken out of my sails. Lula and I proved we could take down a 200-pound military man and now it was personal as well. Working together with Brett and the other Rangemen we wouldn't screw this up, but a slapped together CIA task force might. It was now or never.

"I'd like to speak to Janet Napolitano," I said in my own defense. "I'm sure she isn't aware of the training Lula and I have had. And If you want to see us in action, let's head over to our gym, we were planning to get one more practice session in before we left for Florida anyway. We can do this better than a CIA task force. We've been living and breathing this for the last few months."

I knew I was all over the place, but I wanted Charlie and everyone else to know just how important this was to Lula and I.

Hal was standing by the door and suddenly I thought the best thing to do at the moment was to _show_ Charlie what the element of surprise could do for us. I looked over at Lula to catch her attention, then I almost imperceptibly glimpsed at Hal and she knew what I meant. Hal didn't know what hit him. We had him down and cuffed in under ten seconds.

Tank, Carlos, Hector and Antonio were grinning broadly. Charlie and Joe looked surprised and Etta Mae was applauding. I guessed we proved our point.


	29. Chapter 29 — The Bunker Upstairs

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for Beta-ing my story and deeming this chapter good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :) **

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 29 — The Bunker Above**

"Well Hallelujah!" David said looking at Hal cuffed and on the floor. "I didn't think it would be possible for two women to get someone the size of Hal down."

"Steph's done it before, single-handedly," Lula added with a toothy grin as I unlocked Hal's cuffs and helped him up. "You just try keeping her away from something she wants to do. You'll see."

Hopefully Charlie McKenna read into what Lula was saying. I was heading to Florida tomorrow to take the bastard down, sanctioned or not.

"Cupcake," Joe said, having picked up just enough information to know what we had in mind, "you're not planning on doing _that _to Briggs, are you?"

"Yes. And as you can see, we were able to get Hal to the ground and cuffed in a matter of seconds. It's the element of surprise. Do we look like we could take down a 265-pound man?"

"I object. I object big-time," Joe said, getting all worked up and red in the face. "You are _**NOT**_ going down to Florida to play crime stopper."

"Joe, I'm not _playing _at anything. I'm 100% serious about this and there is nothing you can do to stop me."

"Manoso, what are you putting her up to? I'll kill you bare-handed if anything happens to her."

"I didn't put Stephanie up to anything. This was her and Lula's idea and there will be nine of my men right there along side of them for backup. Nothing is going to happen to either of them. They know what they're doing."

Joe had me so pissed off with his ranting and raving. I looked to Lula and then to Morelli and in less time than it took to get Hal, we had Joe to the ground and cuffed. He was so busy giving Carlos a hard time he wasn't paying one bit of attention to the two of us. Two down, Briggs to go.

"Joe, I should leave you tied up," I said. "Can't you see we've been practicing this? We'll be ok." And we just got in today's practice while showing Charlie McKenna just how much butt we could kick.

Everyone was laughing but Joe and I as Lula uncuffed him and helped him to his feet. I was as serious as I could get. God damn Joe and his macho ideas.

"David do you want to call Janet back with this or should I?" Charlie asked, seemingly now in our court.

"I'll call her and vouch for them," David replied. "If we want to ensure that she hears us, I suggest you call her too."

Since neither Joe nor Hal had a weapon in their hand during our takedowns, Antonio wanted us to practice at least once more using the disarming techniques he'd been working with us on. We headed out to the gym for a quick session with him and Hector. Charlie, David, Joe and Hal followed us out. I guessed Joe and Hal still couldn't believe we'd taken them down and wanted to see what else we could do. I didn't care that we had an audience. All I cared about was getting Briggs into custody and I was pretty sure Lula and I could do it even without help from Brett and the guys.

It looked like Charlie and David were impressed with the methods Antonio had been teaching us. Maybe he'd be offered a job with Homeland Security or SOG after this was over with. He certainly deserved some recognition. Without him Lula and I would still be floundering around and trying to sit on people to get them to the ground.

I had noticed that David was on his phone while we were having our practice session. "Stephanie, Lula, can you come here?" he asked, still talking to whoever he was talking to.

Lula and I walked over to him and he handed me his phone. "I have Janet Napolitano on the line. I've been telling her about you and Lula and what you've been able to accomplish and she wants to talk to you."

Oh shit. Please don't try to dissuade me. "Hi Janet. This is Stephanie Plum."

"Hi Stephanie. David just sent me video of your practice session with Lula and I have to say I'm thoroughly impressed." I put David's phone on speaker so Lula could hear what she was saying too. "I feel the need to apologize for not taking you seriously when Charlie McKenna first mentioned you. I'd still like some CIA involvement, but I understand the time sensitivity and I know I can't pull together a team overnight. I'll sanction this if you keep me in the loop and allow David White to come down to Florida with you. He can be our CIA eyes."

I didn't know what to say. This was as much Carlos' call as it was mine. So far he had Brett, the seven other Rangemen, Hector, Lula and I working on this case.

"Thank you Janet. I have no problem with David's involvement and I can certainly keep you in the loop, but I don't feel this is solely my decision to make. My fiancé, Carlos Manoso and his company Rangeman have been instrumental in putting this together and if it's ok with you, I'd like to talk to him first."

"I've heard all about Ranger and Rangeman. Yes of course, talk it over with him. You can get back to me either through David or Charlie. It was nice speaking with you and I hope we have an opportunity to meet one of these days. Oh. And by the way, you two reminded me of Charlie's Angels; beautiful yet deadly."

I said goodbye to Janet and handed David back his phone. Holy shit. I just spoke with the Director of Homeland Security. I looked up and both David and Charlie were smiling at Lula and I.

"I've got to get back to Trenton for a meeting," Charlie said, offering his hand. "But I agree with Janet and I was very impressed with the both of you too. Good luck tomorrow. I hope it all works out. I'll be in touch."

As Charlie was leaving, Carlos entered the gym and the two spoke briefly before Charlie went back out towards his car. Carlos came over and put his arm around me. "I hear you two were a big hit."

"Uh. I guess. Listen, I have something I want to talk to you about…" And I told him about my conversation with Janet Napolitano.

"I have no problem with David going down to Florida with you, Hector and Lula. In fact it might be less conspicuous if there were four of you. I've already secured a NetJets plane for tomorrow morning. It'll be at Monmouth at 8 am. I asked Jason to go over the plane with a fine-tooth comb before you take off. I'm still worried about a breach in our security there."

"And I'm worried about everything. I wished we knew who Briggs was working with. He set up hits in six different parts of the country at the same time. There were four guys in that car. If there were four guys at every hit, that's twenty-four people. He has to be working with some organized group. Do we have any ideas?"

"I have a few ideas Babe, but nothing concrete. We're working on it. We've ID'd the dead guys, so that's a start. Hector and Hal are running them through every conceivable database there is to try to find a match. I'm sure we'll have a better idea in a few hours."

"Carlos?"

"Yes Babe."

"I love you."

"I love you too. You'll do fine. I have great faith in you and Lula. Tank does too."

I stirred and he held me close and whispered in my ear. "Shhh. It'll all be ok."

"Can I help Hector and Hal with the searches? It'll keep my mind off things."

"I think they have it under control, but if you want to help them go through the data that pops up, I'm sure they'll appreciate it. Tank wants to take his grandmother and Lula back to his house. I pretty sure he wants to check on damage from the attack and to make sure his grandmother is ok after what she's been through here."

"His grandmother's a tough lady. After you guys went upstairs —and by the way you have to show me what's up there — I went to check on her and she was telling Lula, Charlie and Jason about her participation in the race riots of the 1960s. She's a lot stronger than you guys give her credit for."

"I bet she is. After Tank leaves I'll show you what we have upstairs."

"I didn't even know we had an attic. From the outside this looks like a one story structure. Can you stand up there?"

"Yeah Babe you can. It's quite deceiving. And that was the point of my setting up what's there. I imagined someday I'd be attacked here. I don't think it's over yet and I want to show you how to activate the staircase and few other things in case you're here by yourself and the house falls under siege again. Let's go back to inside and say goodbye to Tank. I'm pretty sure we'll be getting a visit from either Captain Sprano or Sergeant Garcia of the Belmar PD at some point today too. Someone's already called Ramos to ask about us."

"Yeah, I spoke with him too. He called my cell after he gave you a positive ID on Flumerri's photo. He mentioned those names. He said he's worked with them before. Our cover is blown now too, right?"

"What cover Babe?"

"The Pardos. Isn't that who the Belmar police think live here? Marc and Samantha Pardo?"

"Babe that cover was blown when the police showed up after Malone shot one of my men responding to his threat outside. The Belmar police know we live here, but that the house is _owned_ by the Pardos. We couldn't keep up the charade so I had a conversation with Captain Sprano months ago."

"You've met him?"

"No. We spoke on the phone. But I have a feeling I'll meet him today."

"I have another question. Is Alexander Ramos half Spanish? He has the same last name as Manny."

"Good question. The surname 'Ramos' is both a Greek name _and_ a Spanish and Portuguese name. It's also an Anglo name as in Ramsey, like Ram's last name. I've been told its origins are Latin and it means olive branch."

"I was just wondering. Alexander has such a Greek accent. I just couldn't see him as being anything other than Greek."

"You should ask him about it. I'm sure he knows more than I do."

When we got back to the house Tank, Lula and Etta Mae were leaving. Jason and Hal were following them back in one of the para-aramid reinforced Explorers in case there was still a threat at their house. Hector was in Carlos' office with two laptops set up.

"Chica, Ranger said you wanted to help. Hal had been running the names of the dead men against known para-military groups in the U.S. You can help by checking to see if he's had any success."

"And what were you running?"

"I thought they might belong to a white supremacy group so I'm cross-referencing them against the KKK and the Aryan Nations. Among others."

"Any luck?"

"Hal started while we were working with Antonio. His search should be just about ready to read. Mine needs probably another hour."

I looked over at the computer Hector pointed to as belonging to Hal. The data was still spinning and so far it didn't look like any connections were made. I'd give it another half an hour.

"It doesn't look like he's made any hits yet. Carlos promised he'd show me what's in the attic. I'll be back in a little while."

"Have fun."

"Thanks. You know where to find us if you need us."

I went back out to the living room where Carlos was talking to Bobby. "Babe, we're concerned that whoever we're dealing with has made some connections. We just asked Ram and Cal to pick up Ashley and Megan and bring them here. And we're worried about David's family in DC. I've sent a NetJets plane to pick them up and bring them here too. I'm sorry but we're going to have a full house."

"What about Devon? If they've made the Megan and Ashley connection to us, I'm betting they have Devon and his family on the radar too."

"I'm moving them to Rangeman. They can have our apartment on seven. It's as secure as Fort Knox. Ella is setting it up for them."

"This is serious, isn't it? Hector thinks it's the KKK. You said you had some ideas. Want to share?"

"Let me take you up to the attic first. I'm inclined to agree with Hector. Since this started I've thought some white supremacy group was involved. Our organization is made up primarily of minorities. Hal, Ram, Cal, Brett, Vince, Woody and you are pretty much the only 'white bread' people in our group. If there's someone who hates me for my choice of partners, they are not going to belong to an open-minded organization. Aryan Nations came to my mind too."

"Can we go upstairs? I'd like to see what you've set up before the Belmar PD arrive. Or before we have a match on the two dead guys."

Carlos walked over to our foyer and touched a piece of the molding just to the right of the front door. It popped open to reveal a panel that looked similar to our video keypads, but without the video.

"Babe, just touch here and the panel will open. It's spring-loaded; you don't have to press very hard. It's just slightly out of people's reach and so far no one has accidently hit it. Then just press this center button and the trap door will slide open. The down arrow right below it will lower the stairs and the up arrow above it will raise them."

Carlos lowered the stairs and I followed him up. He was right. We could very easily stand in the space, especially in the center where the roof rose to an apex. I noticed windows underneath the eaves. They were not noticeable from outside and because of the height you could see out, past our gate and beyond to the street. There was a device with an iPhone attached to it at one of the windows.

"What's this?"

"It's a high-powered cell scope. We used it to take pictures of the men in the car. When I thought the man in the back seat was Flumerri, I texted the image to Ramos for verification. There's a gun safe in this closet where we have weapons and full combat gear. An iris scan and password are necessary to open the safe. The one you use at home will work here. We are linked in to our video keypads remotely in case someone is smart enough to tamper with our electrical system, and we can manage any function of the house from here as well. On the other side we have similar scopes with full beach range. We can see well into the Atlantic and if necessary we can take out a submarine or assault vessel from here. It's all very sophisticated and state-of-the-art."

"This is very scary Carlos. It seems like something the U.S. government should know about."

"They do Babe and if we were at war, this house would be open to the armed forces and the president."

We heard a voice calling to us from the stairs below. "Stephanie? Ranger? Is it ok if I come up?"

It was Joe. I looked at Carlos. He was the one who created this secret arsenal. Inviting Joe up wasn't my decision to make.

"Come on up Joe," Carlos called back. "I was just showing Stephanie our bunker."

Joe came up the stairs and did a 360º when he got to the top. He let out a low whistle. "Just how equipped are you?"

"The federal government has this place on its list of approved bunkers in case of war. We pretty much have everything. As you can see we have high-powered scopes that can see well out into the Atlantic and under the water. In the gun safe there's weaponry that can disable a nuclear sub."

"Is all of this legal?"

"Legal, approved and accounted for. Washington knows what's here."

"When you first started setting up shop in Trenton, I asked about you and I was told to mind my own business. Is this why?"

"Probably not. I've only had this house since last fall. All of this is new. Was it Juniak that told you to butt out? He was told to give me and my men carte blanche. Sometimes he can be quite blunt."

"Yeah, it was Juniak. So he knows about all of this too?"

"Joe, I'm not hiding anything. Yes, he knows."

"So why is Stephanie seeing this for the first time today if you're not hiding anything?"

That was a good question. I wondered myself why Carlos had never mentioned this before. He'd told me many times he had no secrets from me.

"Honestly I didn't want to scare you Babe," Carlos said, addressing _me_ with the answer to Joe's question. "When the time was right, I would have taken you up here. And it looks like the time was right today. I wasn't sure how you would feel living with a two-ton megabomb arsenal above you."

Yeah and I still didn't know how I felt. But before I had a chance to ponder it further another voice called up to us.

"Belmar PD is at the gate," Bobby announced. "And unless you want them upstairs, I suggest coming down now."

We all turned and made our way down the stairs with Joe in the lead. Once the three of us were down, Carlos punched the keypad on the wall and the staircase went back up, the trap door shut and the attic arsenal was back to being hidden away.

Carlos opened the front door to let whoever was visiting from the Belmar PD in.

"Carlos Manoso?" One of the officers asked, walking to the door and shaking Carlos' outstretched hand.

"Yes and this is my fiancé Stephanie Plum," he said ushering me to his side.

"I'm Captain Pasquale Sprano, but you can call me Charlie, everyone else does. And this is Sergeant Artie Garcia."

"We spoke on the phone, nice to finally meet you. I had a feeling you'd be paying us a visit today. Come in."

Carlos introduced the officers to Joe and Bobby. I guessed the other guys saw the car arrive on the video keypads and Hector and David came out to the foyer to extend their greetings too. Thankfully most of our small army were either 'out' or had already left, so it didn't look like we kept a platoon of men here.

Carlos was quite forthcoming with the officers and told them about his company, Briggs and our uncertainness about just who attacked us this morning.

"We got an ID on the two dead men and we are running a search right now to try to cross reference them with any existing vigilantes in any of the data bases available to us. Come back to my office and I'll show you what we have."

As we passed through the living room on our way to Carlos' office, Captain Sprano stopped at the Frida Khalo painting. "I heard about this painting. Officer Reynolds was quite taken with it."

"Yeah. So was Officer Higgins, who we later found out wasn't an officer at all," I said, alluding to the FBI agent who showed up here to check out Carlos.

"I'm sorry about that," Captain Sprano said. "This town has some very influential people living in it. I'm sorry someone got the wrong idea and brought in the FBI. But now that we know who you really are and everything is above board, you shouldn't have any more problems."

Yeah, wait till someone finds out about the two-ton megabomb arsenal upstairs, I thought to myself.

Joe and the officers talked shop for a few minutes while we waited to see if there were any hits on the searches. Then Joe announced that he had to get back to Trenton. He shook hands with the officers, Carlos, Hector, Bobby and David and I walked him to the door.

"Cupcake do you feel safe with all that _equipment_ upstairs?" he asked.

"I'm getting used to it Joe. I'll be fine. And I'm sorry Lula and I took you down and cuffed you earlier. I just needed to prove a few points."

"It's ok. Just take care of yourself," Joe said, kissing me goodbye on the cheek. "And good luck tomorrow."


	30. Chapter 30 — Not Taking Any Chances

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for Beta-ing my story and deeming this chapter good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :) **

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

I really don't know anything about radical white supremacy groups. It's all googled information. Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 30 — Not Taking Any Chances**

When I walked back to Carlos' office he was on his cell phone. He looked grim and Carlos is not usually one to grimace. I gave him a questioning look and he mumbled something and hung up.

"That was Erik. I had him and Roy posted at Monmouth Medical Center to keep an eye on the two crash survivors. Looks like Flumerri has been diagnosed as brain dead and they are just waiting for his son and daughter to arrive at the hospital before they pull the plug. I was hoping he'd wake up and talk to us. The other guy is still in a coma. Erik and Roy are staying there until Hank and Binkie relieve them later. I don't want anyone sneaking bodies out."

Carlos wasn't being very silent about his feelings and the Belmar PD overheard what he said to me.

"We can have the Monmouth police department watch the hospital, there is no need for you to use your personal resources to take care of this," Sergeant Garcia said.

"Thank you for offering but unfortunately I can't trust anyone but my men with this. We have a lot at stake, including Stephanie's well being, and I can't risk her life.

"Is there anything we can do to join forces? If this is local I can throw a few men into the mix."

"Stephanie and her partner are heading down to Florida tomorrow. Most of this is going to take place there. But the outcome of our cross-referencing will bring an added perspective to the table. If it comes down to police protection in Florida, I'd love to be able to call on someone local. If you guys have any connections with the Olga PD that services Franklin Lock, that would be helpful."

"My brother-in-law is chief of the Miami police department," Sergeant Garcia said. "I'll see if he has any connections with Olga. I'm not even quite sure where that is."

"It's about thirty-five miles up the Intracoastal on the gulf side of the peninsula; maybe eighteen miles north east of Fort Myers," Carlos answered looking at an internal map in his head. "I'd say two and a half hours from Miami."

"I'll call him and see if he knows anyone there. If he can help you with this Briggs guy, I'm sure he would." He took his phone out of his pocket, walked away from us for some privacy and placed a call.

What a nice guy. Of course Rangeman really didn't need any help, but it was nice that he offered.

"That's very sweet of him," I said to Captain Sprano.

"Yeah, he's a good guy."

Hector heard the ding when I did. We both walked over to the laptops to see what kind of a hit we got. Hal's laptop was still running, so it came from Hector's. He looked at the data on screen and then hit a button to print out the page or so of information his computer brought up.

"KKKK. Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. The most militant faction of the KKK." Hector said, reading from the screen. "Uh oh."

"Uh oh what?" I asked trying to read over his shoulder. I finally gave up and picked up the sheets from the printer to read along.

"Stanley Travis, the other guy in the backseat, is the brother of a past Imperial Wizard."

"What does that mean?"

"I think it means, let's hope he doesn't die," Captain Sprano interjected.

Sergeant Garcia hung up his phone and walked over to us with a smile on his face. "My brother-in-law, Kenny Estefan, called Olga's chief of police. While they won't interfere directly, they'll keep you on their radar and if you need help they'll be there. Kenny wants me to put his cell phone number and the number of Manny Garza, the police chief of Olga, on your phone Stephanie. He told me to say hello to Ranger for him too."

"I thought Kenny might be chief of police by now." Carlos said. "Small world. We met a few times when I was setting up Rangeman Miami."

Sergeant Garcia put his hand out for my phone so I took it out of my pocket and handed it to him.

"But do they know about the KKK?" I asked.

"KKKK," Hector corrected. "They are the _extreme_ faction."

"I heard you talking while I was on the phone and I mentioned it to him. He knows now."

"We have to head back," Captain Sprano said, pulling his vibrating phone out of his pocket and looking at a text message, "But it was nice meeting you. And good luck tomorrow Stephanie."

We all shook hands with the officers and Carlos and I led them out to the front door where their blue and white was parked. Carlos walked over to the keypad by the door and fobbed open the gate for the officers.

"Officer Reynolds told us about your elaborate security system."

"Can't be too lax," Carlos said. "And it helps that I own my own security firm. This is state-of-the-art." Yeah, and there's state-of-the-art munitions upstairs too, I thought to myself.

After the officers left, the four of us looked at the printouts again. We made the assumption that Flumerri probably was KKKK too, so Hector ran him through the system specifically looking for his associations with the group.

"I'm surprised you got anything," Bobby said. "Membership into the KKK is secret."

"Used to be," Hector said. "Nothing is secret anymore. But I tink I get info because of Stanley's brother Harvey. He was the Imperial Wizard from 2000-2008. I tink he liked having his name in the news. There's a lot on him."

Hector's computer dinged again. His search into Flumerri's KKKK and also one less K activity drew a blank. I guessed Bobby was right. Membership was still secret unless you were an Imperial Wizard's brother. The names of the two dead guys in the front seat drew blanks too. But at least we had one hit, and it made sense. Briggs was a bigot so it made sense that he'd belong to the KKK.

Just to see if anything came up, Hector ran Briggs' name into the database of confirmed KKK members. Nothing. But we didn't expect to see anything. We were pretty sure he'd hide that information with his life.

We could see by the video feed on the keypad that two cars were approaching our gate. Carlos zoomed in on the occupants. Ram, Cal, Megan and Ashley were in the first and Vince, Sybo and a woman with a baby in the second.

"That must be David's wife and daughter. Are you ready for this Carlos? We just had Alexa stay with us. This will be baby all over again."

"We'll move people around. I'll give them the larger bedroom in the apartment. They can use the kitchen there too. I don't think they'll interfere with our life too much. And you'll be leaving for Florida by seven tomorrow morning, so for you it's just one night. I'll let David know his family is here. Babe you want to get the door and let everyone in?"

"I'll get it," Bobby said, and the way he said it made me think he was anxious to see Ashley.

It was a freaking love fest. You'd think these people never saw one another. Bobby and Ashley were arm-in-arm and he was nuzzling her neck as they walked down the hall towards Carlos' office. Ram and Megan were all google-eyed for each other and David greeted his wife and daughter with tender kisses. Is this what Carlos and I looked like? Probably. Yeesh.

"Ranger, Stephanie, Bobby and Hector this is my wife Maryanne and my daughter Emma," David said, introducing Maryanne to the lot of us.

"Yes. Baby-led weaning," I said, "David told us all about it."

Maryanne looked at me like I was crazy and then smiled. "Got it. Alexa's aunt; I heard all about her."

Ashley, Megan, Cal, Ram, Vince and Sybo were introduced to everyone who hadn't met them before and pretty soon we were like one big happy family.

The guys went back out to the cars and brought in suitcases. I really hoped that after we brought down Briggs everything would be able to go back to normal. It kind of felt like Hotel Manoso here, and personally, I didn't want to share the host.

And speaking of not sharing the host, I grabbed Carlos' arm and dragged him into the kitchen. Not too many people would think to look for _me_ there.

"Babe, what's the matter?"

"You know that tingly spidey thing I get when something is off?"

"Yeah Babe, I know it well. What are you sensing?"

"I don't know. It started after everyone arrived. The only person I've never met before is Maryanne and she seems really nice. I can't put my finger on it. Can we look at Hector's printouts again? Do we know where that guy Stanley Travis comes from?"

"Why don't you find Hector and take another look at the results. People might get suspicious if we're both missing at the same time. If you need me, come and find me. I'm going to try to persuade Vince to make his lasagna for a crowd. I'd do it myself, but I still have my hand in a cast. Chopping and assembling are next to impossible with just one hand."

"Cal can help too. He likes to cook. And once I'm satisfied that there's no threat, I can jump in too."

I went back out to the living room where most people were congregated. Hal and Jason had come back from Lula and Tank's and Hector was talking to Hal.

I interrupted, but they'd forgive me. "Hector, can I see you in Carlos' office for a minute? Something is bothering me about that search."

"Of course Chica. Show me."

"I'm coming too," Hal said. "If we need to rerun a search it'll be easier with the three of us."

I had the two most technical guys in all of Rangeman with me, if they couldn't help me figure out what felt off, no one could. I explained what I was feeling as we closed the door to Carlos' office. Like most of the Rangeman guys I knew well, they were used to my spidey sense and took it seriously.

"Ok this is what we have," Hector said reading his print out again. "Hal can you start a new search on Stanley Travis? See if we come up with anyting?"

"And his brother Harvey, too," I added, just to be on the safe side.

Twenty minutes later we had some information on the Travis'. They were born and raised in Alva, Florida. Population 2,182. Seemed like the 'Burg to me.

"Where is this Alva, Florida? Anywhere near where we're going?"

Hal did a quick search and freaking BINGO. Alva was one town east of Olga where Franklin Lock was located. Shit, no wonder I was buzzing. I had Manny Garza, the Olga chief of police's number on my phone. I took out my phone looked at it and then at Hector.

"Estefania call him."

I wasn't sure what to say. I couldn't very easily tell him my spidey sense was tingling. I punched in his number anyway. He answered on the second ring.

"Chief Garza? This is Stephanie Plum."

Thank God he recognized my name and I didn't have to go into detail. Sergeant Garcia had told him about the assault on our house today so when I mentioned we had done a search and came up with two men who grew up in Alva he asked for their names.

"Yes, I know the Travis boys. Trouble-makers, the lot of them."

I told him what we knew about Harvey being an ex-wizard of the KKKK and that Stanley was in a coma in New Jersey from the injuries he'd suffered this morning. He told me they had two other brothers and both still lived in Alva. At least he thought they still did. He said he'd call the Alva PD to send cars over to their houses and check on them as they were out of his jurisdiction. And using Stanley's coma as an excuse would make the visits credible. The two other brothers' names were Lyle and Vernon. I guessed the family liked old-fashioned names.

"Knock. Knock," someone said knocking on Carlos' office door. It sounded like Bobby's voice so I opened it. I was right, it was Bobby, so I ushered him in and closed the door again.

I still had Chief Garza on the phone and Bobby was able to piece together enough of the conversation to understand what was going on.

Once I hung up with the chief of police, Bobby spoke.

"Ranger told me you were sensing something, so I came over to see if I could be of any help."

I filled him in with what he couldn't have gotten hearing only my side of the conversation.

"Ranger thought you might have been reacting to David's wife Maryanne, so I just had a conversation with her. Turns out she's from Florida too. Fort Myers. Which is about eighteen miles away from Franklin Lock. She has no association with the KKK and doesn't know the Travis'. But her parents have a three-bedroom condo there, which they only use in the winter. She offered us use of it and took the keys with her when David mentioned the four of you heading down there. It would be easier for us to secure than a hotel."

"Oh shit. I didn't want to seem suspicious of David's wife. I hope you didn't tell her that."

"I didn't, but I can tell you she's not the threat and if you want, we can do a search on her just to make you feel better."

"I trust you. And that condo would seem much more believable too if we're trying to pass ourselves off as two couples sharing a vacation. Well before Lula and I have car trouble, that is. But someone gets the living room couch, and it's not me," I added.

"I'll take the couch, Chica. I don't mind," Hector said grinning broadly and shaking his head at me.

"Oh shit Bobby," I said suddenly, slapping my hand over my mouth. "I just told that police chief about the Travis' involvement in the KKKK. I keep forgetting that Florida is the south. Did I just fuck up?"

"I don't know. Let's call that Miami chief of police, the Estefan guy. Sergeant Garcia gave you his cell phone number, right?"

"Yes. It's right here. Do you want to talk to him? I'm kind of embarrassed. I can't believe how stupid that was."

"I would have said something," Hal said, "but I wasn't here earlier and I thought all was cool, all the way around."

Bobby had his cell phone out and was texting. "Ranger should call him. They know one another. He'll probably be the most frank with someone he knows."

Carlos didn't bother knocking or answering Bobby's text. He just opened the door and came in.

"You haven't lived down there Babe, I can't blame you, you wouldn't know. But give me your phone and I'll call Kenny. He'll know if we need to worry or not."

Carlos called Kenny and after a few minutes of 'how ya been?' and catching up he got down to the real reason for the call. I couldn't hear what Kenny was saying because Carlos didn't have the phone on speaker, but Carlos kept saying 'um hmm' and 'um' it didn't sound too good to me.

"Yes, they'll be landing in Ft. Myers around ten thirty tomorrow morning. The CIA agent who'll be with them has a condo in Ft. Myers and they'll be staying there." "No I don't know the address. Hold on. Babe, can you get David or Maryanne."

I went out to find Maryanne because if it was an address he needed, I was sure she'd have it — and I owed her for thinking badly of her. I found her in the kitchen helping Cal, Vince and Megan with dinner and I brought her with me back to Carlos' office letting her know what little I knew on the way.

"Maryanne, do you have an address?" Carlos asked her.

"It's 221 Lenell in Fort Myers Beach. It's those pretty condos right on the canal."

"Thank you." And he relayed the address to Kenny. He hung up and addressed us.

"He's not sure about the political views of either the chief of police of Alba or Olga. He says they are small towns and could go either way. He does however have a connection in Ft. Myers that he can vouch for, and luckily we didn't give Manny Garza too much information. Kenny's calling his friend in Ft. Myers and will call us back in a few minutes. Unfortunately Garza now has your cell phone number Babe. Hector can you load up a new phone for Steph and text all her contacts except for Garza her new number? Thanks."

I had hundreds of contacts. It could take Hector hours. Unless of course he'd already created an app for that purpose, which I supposed he did, as he didn't seem too upset by Carlos' request.

Hector took off towards the kitchen. I guessed we had a stash of brand new iPhones somewhere and he was getting me a new one all loaded up with every conceivable app I didn't know how to use. Carlos was still holding my phone when it rang. He looked at the caller ID and handed it to me.

"Garza. Talk to him, but don't tell him anything."

"Hi Chief Garza. What's up?" I answered, putting my phone on speaker.

"Call me Manny. I just wanted to let you know I called Owens in Alba and he went out to see the Travis'. Neither knew about Stanley's accident but thanked him for stopping by. He said it didn't seem likely they were planning anything. They were both home in front of their TVs. Lyle's wife is about nine months pregnant, so I'm sure they're not going anywhere and he said Vernon was drunk. What time are you getting in tomorrow? Do you want to stop by the station? I can have someone pick you up at the airport too."

"Thank you Manny," I said looking at Carlos who was giving me hand signals to say as little as possible. "It looks like we may not even be coming down now, but if we do I'll call you. Thanks for getting back to me." And I hung up.

"Too fishy," Carlos said. "Thankfully you're on a NetJets flight with a passenger list of Marc and Samantha Pardo and Roscoe and Tallulah Abernathy."

"Is Hector Marc?" I asked.

"No Hector is Roscoe, but it doesn't matter. I'll have a Rangeman car pick you up at the airport and take you directly to the condo. We'll have a BMW convertible shipped there too so you and Lula can have a breakdown car."

"A BMW convertible is a breakdown car?"

"This one will be."


	31. Chapter 31 — The Omission

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for Beta-ing my story and deeming this chapter good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :) **

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

I really don't know anything about radical white supremacy groups. It's all googled information. Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 31 — The Omission**

"Babe. We have your cover." Carlos said, calling me into his office after dismissing Bobby and hanging up with Lester and Tank. "You and Lula will be on your way to a golf course when your car breaks down. We found a golf course right near the state road that Briggs will have to use to transport his missile to Columbia, South Carolina. Lester and Autumn picked up used clubs for you and Lula and are having them shipped to the condo as well some of the least conservative golf attire they could find. I think you'll be able to stop Briggs' truck without a problem," he wolf-grinned at me.

"Tell me about this _golf attire_."

"Here are the pictures Santos emailed me," he said, showing me images on his screen. There were tiny tartan skirts, tees that didn't quite tuck in and a cowl neck top that looked awfully low and had to reveal quite a bit. I assumed Santos saw Lula wearing that one; I just didn't have enough in that department. Shit. If Lula wore that Briggs wouldn't know what hit him.

"Is this for Lula?" I asked pointing to the cowl neck.

Carlos nodded. "I think so."

"And Tank is ok with this?"

"Tank wants to see it for himself, but he's ok. We're about the better for the good of all, or whatever that phrase is."

"Carlos?"

"Yeah?

"Did you have too much wine?"

"Babe, you know me better than that. It takes an awful lot to intoxicate me. Well let me take that back. _You_ intoxicate me. Dios, what you do to me."

"Carlos?"

"Yeah Babe."

"Let's go to bed." And I whispered, "and I don't mean to sleep."

"Babe, you're going to need all the sleep you can get, but I think I can show you a little affection first," he wolf-grinned again and pulled me close.

"And am I going to like this _affection_?"

"You've never complained about my affection before," he said, kissing me with just enough tongue so that I got the message.

"Carlos?"

"Yeah Babe?"

"Let's just throw the lock on your office door. The bedroom is too far away."

Unfortunately we were interrupted by Carlos' cell phone vibrating in his pocket. I'm sure he would have ignored it, but too much has happened over the last day to ignore much.

It was Hector.

"I need to talk to you and Steph. I ran a search on Maryanne."

"We're in my office. Come on in. The door is unlocked."

A few seconds later Hector knocked on Carlos' door then opened it. He had his laptop in his hand.

"I need to show you someting."

"Hector what did you find?" I asked.

"I trust your spidey sense so I ran a search after dinner. I let it run and just went back to look at it. Maryanne is an ex-CIA agent."

"That's probably how they met."

"She spent three years posing as the girlfriend of Harvey Travis. Her job was to infiltrate the KKKK. When she was finally exposed Harvey resigned as the Imperial Wizard and she was whisked away and given a new life. Don't you find it strange that she no tell us this?"

"Maybe she just wanted to forget and move on with her life. She's married now and has a baby."

Hector looked at me like I drank the Kool-Aid. "Chica, we're talking about someone who was fucking an Imperial Wizard of the KKKK as part of her job for the CIA. You not forget that. I tink we need to talk to her before you leave in the morning. I think we need to talk to her now."

Carlos had been taking all of this in, but hadn't spoken. He took Hector's laptop from him and was reading through the search results while Hector and I were verbally sparring.

"Well the condo in Ft. Myers is for real — she bought it for her parents. And she did grow up there," he said, reading along. "It seems like she just left out her CIA past. I'd agree with Stephanie that she just wants to forget, but this is a little too close to home. Had her so-called boyfriend been anyone but Harvey Travis I'd say it was something she could have left out. I think we need to have her and David join us. And now is as good a time as any."

With that he picked up his phone and texted David. Then thinking better of that approach, he placed a call.

"David, can you and Maryanne join me in my office. Something's come up that we need to talk about. I'm inviting Bobby to join us too." "No we want Maryanne here, it's as much about her as it is you."

He then placed a call to Bobby.

Bobby arrived first as he was in the house. David, Maryanne and Emma had gone back to the apartment over the garage to call it a night.

Carlos showed Bobby the search results on Hector's computer.

"Shit. David or Maryanne should have said something. We haven't been hiding anything and I'm sure both Harvey and Stanley's names have come up more than once this evening. This is going to be awkward."

Actually, things couldn't _get_ any more awkward. Maryanne, David and a sleeping Emma appeared at Carlos' door as Bobby was talking. David took the lead.

"I gather you ran a search on Maryanne," he said as they entered the room.

Carlos nodded and motioned to them to sit down.

"My wife was committed to being a CIA agent and asked for the assignment. These last four years have been really tough on her," David continued, running his hands through his hair and looking from one of us to the other. "Even after the long, arduous CIA debriefing, which included a psychiatrist skilled in various mind control and memory block techniques, she was still so fucked up that she had to have trauma counseling and undergo additional hypnosis…"

Maryanne broke in. "I was hoping that this wouldn't come up, but as soon as I heard who you were dealing with, I knew I'd have to relive this." She paused to gather her thoughts; then she continued with a deeper voice and a disconnected faraway look in her eyes. "The CIA prepared us for just about anything, but nothing could have prepared me for that man. He didn't bathe regularly and the smell of him made me gag. He had bad teeth and bad breath. Of course I slept with him, I had to; and I pretended to care about him," she shivered. "I thought I was hardened enough for the assignment, but nothing can make you that tough. It took two years of daily therapy for me to be able to look at myself in a mirror. I was such a contradiction. The only thing good to come from any of it was that I met David. The 'me' you see here today is the real me, I don't even know who that person living in such evil and squalor was. God."

"I'm so sorry Maryanne," I said, going over to her to give her a hug.

"We should have told you as soon as we knew about the KKKK's involvement," David said. "But I didn't want Maryanne to have to relive this again. She'd pretty much gotten over it."

"I understand," Carlos said, "but by not saying anything it almost cost you our trust. You should have at least confessed to me. I would have kept your confidentiality and you wouldn't have had to subject Maryanne to rehashing those years all over again. I'm not going to lecture you; I think too highly of you for that and I'm sure this is just as hard for you as it is for your wife. Let's all go get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a big day."

Maryanne broke in again, speaking to everyone, but looking at me. "I'm not sure if this Briggs guy is KKKK, but if he is, he's not going to stop his truck for you and Lula. He'll be too much of a bigot to accept your friendship with a black woman. I have all the training you do, probably more. I'd like to help."

I looked over to Carlos, Bobby and Hector. I wasn't quite sure what to do. Bobby had his head titled uncertainly and both Hector and Carlos were stoic.

Hector stepped forward and addressed Maryanne. "I'd like to trust you, but after that omission of information, I have to say, I'm a little concerned."

"I can understand that. Please look me up on the secure CIA server. Here, I'll get you in," Maryanne said reaching her hand out to access Hector's computer.

"I can probably get myself in, but if you can get me in faster, be my guest," Hector replied, relinquishing control of his laptop.

She typed in a long code, waited, then typed in another. Page after page of information seemed to appear. She handed the computer back to Hector who scanned it, then handed it to Carlos.

"Sandan black belt in several Japanese martial arts. Shihan master in Jujutsu," Carlos read aloud. "Very impressive. Are you current?"

"Yes. I practice everyday. I actually have a hachidan ranking in Judo. The CIA doesn't need anything above sandan. David shared the video he took of Steph and Lula with me. I noticed some of the techniques they were using, they are shotokan in origin. I would only need to work with Steph once or twice and I'd be able to replicate what she and Lula were doing. Or I could teach her some more sophisticated moves."

"Lula very much wanted to go down to Florida with me. For the both of us it's personal. Tank and Carlos were both injured by a bomb that was ordered by Briggs."

"I understand that completely. But in my estimation if he is KKK, he will not stop for a white woman with a black woman, even if you're in serious trouble. Your mission could be jeopardized, no matter how good a team you are together. And for me the whole KKK thing was quite personal too. My best friend growing up was black. Her house was firebombed during a KKK attack. Her grandmother was staying with them at the time and when Kenya realized she didn't leave the burning building with the rest of the family, she went back inside for her. Neither of them made it out. That was one of the reasons I volunteered for the KKKK assignment."

"So why didn't you tell us before? You knew Steph and Lula were planning on leaving for Florida tomorrow morning," Carlos prodded.

"Until I saw the video, I didn't know Lula was black. I was seeing it for the first time when Ranger called and asked David and I to come here. That was just fifteen minutes ago."

"David, Maryanne, I'd like to have a quick conference with Bobby, Hector and Stephanie," Carlos said when we all had a chance to take in this latest piece of the puzzle. "Can you wait outside for a few minutes?"

"Of course."

Bobby opened the door for them and then closed and locked it once they left.

"Shit," I said. "She's probably right about the black/white thing. Why didn't we think of that before?"

"Because we weren't thinking about an extreme KKK faction until this morning," Bobby said, clearly agitated. "I think we should call Tank. It's only ten o'clock; they'll be up. And they are only ten minutes away if they feel they need to come by in person."

"Agreed," Carlos said, taking out his phone and placing a call.

"Lester too," I said. "The whole core team should vote on this one."

"Well in that case, we should let David and Maryanne go back to the apartment and relax. I'll text him too."

Carlos called Tank and texted David while Bobby called Les. Hector and I were the only ones with no one to call, so we reread the CIA dossier on Maryanne Charlotte White, nee Herring, like the fish.

"It talks about her freakout here. Shouldn't that be classified information?"

"I don't tink they can classify anything. This site is so the CIA can see everything there is to know about their agents to send them out on jobs that are well-fit to their personalities. And it says she's fit for service even though she's out on maternity leave now."

"Imagine having to sleep with someone like she described."

"She had to do more than sleep, Babe," Carlos said, coming up behind us. "Tank and Lula are coming back here. They're leaving now."

Bobby had Lester patched in to the office line and we brought him up to speed while we waited for Tank and Lula to arrive. Hector sent him the secure url and he was reading all about Maryanne White, spewing out expletives every once in a while. "Holy shit, they really let her do that?"

"Lester, she volunteered. It's not like they told her she had to do this job or sit behind a desk for the rest of her career. I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision to make, but she was motivated." And then I told him about her best friend's unfortunate demise.

The video keypad showed Tank and Lula driving up in a Hummer followed by Sy and Hank in a black Explorer. The guys had spent the latter part of the day watching over Tank's house after the shoot out. Carlos buzzed them all through the gate.

"Grandma insisted on staying at the house by herself," Lula said, "Hank said Benny and Caesar will be there in a few minutes to make sure she's ok. _The X Factor_ is on tonight and she's addicted. I told her you had television, but she wanted to watch it in her pjs."

"Lula this is serious," I said breaking into her ranting. "David's wife is a CIA agent and she was screwing Harvey Travis as part of her job."

"What? You're shitting me?"

"Uh uh. She fucked up her life big time to get the goods on this guy and of course someone found her out and she had to leave and assume a new identity."

"Shit woman. She's a martyr."

"Maybe. She certainly put her own life on hold to infiltrate this guy's doings. Carlos is going to take you, Tank and Lester through what we know."

_**Ranger's POV**_

I wasn't feeling particularly excited about what I had to tell the group. I recognized the racial thing this morning when we learned that the men in the car were indeed part of an extreme faction of the KKK, but I didn't have another woman to bring in to replace Lula. I was going to suggest Jeanne Ellen Burrows, but I knew how Stephanie felt about her and I didn't think the combination could ever work. It seemed like Maryanne White just fell into our laps and no one could be more skilled than she. My only trepidation was that David withheld information from us. I knew Lula had been working harder than either Steph or Hector to earn her certification and was now prepared to take on a very important assignment. Unfortunately I'd seen her go rhino over less, so I was ready for anything.

"Thank you for coming out in the middle of the night and thanks for taking our call Lester. Stephanie pulled me aside earlier to tell me about a hinkey feeling she was having and Hector took it upon himself to investigate. It turns out we have a secret agent in the house who was assigned to infiltrate the KKKK and ultimately stop them from functioning."

I went into detail about Maryanne: her background, her three-year assignment and her insight. I was watching Tank and Lula in particular when I told the group about the KKKKs extreme racial prejudice and the unlikelihood of Briggs stopping his truck for mixed race friends in trouble. I then told everyone about Maryanne's offer to step in. Lula was quiet. I could tell she was deep in thought. As I like to believe that Rangeman is a democracy, I opened next steps up to the room. I wasn't surprised when Lula was first to speak.

"I understand what you're saying and to be honest, I thought about the black/white thing myself. Taking down Briggs is personal for me; he ordered a hit on Tank and Ranger. But if we want to get him, I think Maryanne is right; he won't stop if he sees me. But I do want to help. I want to be there, even if it's in the background."

That was very adult. My second in command had done a lot to help his woman grow up. I was very impressed.

"Thank you Lula," I said. "I was hoping you wouldn't take it personally. You and Steph have done an amazing job. I'm more than impressed with the both of you and I would like you to remain part of the team. We're going to have to get Maryanne up to speed with the techniques you've been taught and the easiest way to do that is for the three of you to practice together. Unfortunately time is not on our side here, so my suggestion is for the three of you to practice at the condo in Florida. David told me earlier that he and Maryanne own an adjoining two-bedroom place, so they can stay there. Hector, you'll get a room to yourself after all."


	32. Chapter 32 — Saying Goodbye

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best :)

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for Beta-ing my story and deeming this chapter good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :) **

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 32 — Saying Goodbye**

Once again it was proving to be a long day. After the meeting with the guys and Lula, Carlos called David and Maryanne and they came back to his office for a recap. Emma was with them — still sound asleep.

"Thank you for trusting me and letting me help," Maryanne said after hearing our verdict. "I've been thinking…and as much as I admire your plan of using two women and a disabled car to get Briggs to stop, I don't think it's going to work — even if the two women are white. He's a bigot and from what I've heard you say, he has very little respect for women in general. I do agree with the element of surprise and being tag-teamed by women though. He won't see that coming. But we'll need a better reason for being in the road. Something that he won't think twice about stopping for."

"Maybe something he won't be able to get around?" I ventured. "A car crash taking up both lanes or a large animal in the road."

"Possibly. We'll need to really think about it, although we have no time."

"What if a tree fell on the road, blocking all the lanes and a car careened into it because the driver didn't see it in time to slow down," Hector said slowly, following through on my large object in the road idea. "Steph and Maryanne can be first on the scene and be in the road to alert traffic so no one else has an accident. I can be the victim in the car, maybe with a pretend head injury. I can also offer assistance if they need it. Or maybe instead of me," he continued, giving it further thought, "what if we used Silvio? With his white hair and beard he looks much older than he is. He could pass for an old man from a distance."

Maryanne seemed to spark to that idea. "Who is Silvio?"

"Silvio works for Rangeman. He runs searches out of the Miami office, but he's as trained as any of us," Hector answered. "He has premature white hair and a beard. Unless you got close enough to see his face or body, you would tink he was an old man."

"I like it," she said. "That could work. Briggs' truck would have to stop for the downed tree, and an old man with head injuries would most likely get a military man with medic training out of his vehicle to be of assistance. That's an excellent idea Hector."

"I was just adding to Steph's thought, but tank you."

Well we had a plan, although now I wondered why Lula couldn't execute it with me. The downed tree would stop the truck no matter what. Although there _was_ the chance of Briggs not wanting to get anywhere near us for fear of catching cooties. God I hated that man.

Carlos was going to call Silvio in the morning and since everything else had been taken care of we could finally go to bed. I still had to be packed and on the road by 7am tomorrow.

"Babe, let me relax you," Carlos said, kneading my tight shoulders. "Let's go out to the hot tub."

"We have a full house, someone might hear us," I whispered.

"I'll make you feel so good you won't care," he whispered back, nibbling and kissing my ear.

And I knew he would.

Carlos and I both changed into plush Turkish robes and nothing else and we headed out to the hot tub. I hoped there were towels in the cabana. And I then I remembered we had a warming rack. God hot towels after a rub down was certainly the way to go. Not to mention whatever else Carlos had in mind.

Carlos opened the tub, turned on the jets and beckoned me to him. As soon as I closed the distance between us, he pulled me close. "You are so beautiful, Babe. Let me take in all your beauty," he said opening the tie on my robe to reveal my very much at attention breasts. I could feel his eyes on me. They were filled with love and desire.

"Let me kiss you Babe."

I looked at him questioningly. He'd never asked to kiss me before, but his doing so really turned me on.

He took my hand and kissed it while he looked into my eyes. Then he turned my hand over and kissed the back of it, holding it to his lips. Heaven. Again he turned my hand and pressed his lips to my palm. The sensations went straight to my doodah.

"Babe, let's go into the tub," he whispered.

As our robes fell to the floor he picked me up and carried me into the warm, bubbling water. He positioned me next to a jet so the warm water could work on my tense muscles and he sat down next to me, our thighs touching. After a little while he turned me so my back was to him and then he began to work on my shoulders. I could feel the knots beginning to loosen in his hands and his arousal poke me in my back.

"Much better, Babe, but you're still tight. Maybe we should go back inside and let me work on you a bit."

Oh yeah. You can 'work on me' all you want. "Mm. Ok." "Carlos?"

"Yeah Babe."

"Is this going to be one of those happy-ending massages?"

"What do you think?"

"I think you wouldn't leave me all frustrated before I have to go away."

"Come on Babe, let me relax you and then I'll make love to you."

Oh God.

Carlos helped me out of the tub and into my robe. He turned off the jets and closed everything down and we walked back to the house. The hot tub made me a little unsteady on my feet, so when I awkwardly stumbled a bit, Carlos picked me up bridal style and carried me back to our bedroom.

True to his word, Carlos got me all comfy on our bed and went into the bathroom to get some massage oil. He took off my robe, then his and positioned mine under me to protect the bed from any oil spills. Then he went to work on me.

He kneaded my shoulders and back until all my tight spots were gone. His strong hands working my muscles felt wonderful. God I was going to be a puddle. Then he went to work on my ass. I didn't know an ass massage could feel so good. But he didn't stop there; he massaged my upper thighs, one at a time and then my calves.

"Babe, I'm going to turn you over," he whispered.

He massaged my upper arms, my waist, my sides and the front of my thighs.

My eyes were closed and I was thoroughly enjoying the massage when Carlos began placing small kisses on the inside of my forearm, moving his mouth up my arm towards my elbow. I opened my eyes to watch him. His mouth lingered in the crease of my elbow and he looked at me. Then he brought his hands to my waist and just stared at my lips. God, did this man know what he was doing to me?

And then he carefully touched his lips to mine. No tongue, just a beautiful kiss. He held his lips there and I felt myself getting very wet. I remembered him telling me my lips were one my top erogenous zones. God, now I knew why.

He kissed me again. This time it was long and deep; his tongue in my mouth, our naked chests were touching. My breasts were aching for him. As if he knew what I wanted, he moved his lips to my neck while he cupped one of my breasts. Then he rolled the nipple between his fingers and moved his mouth to my earlobe. Oh God.

He laid his body over mine and he ran his hands slowly up and down the length of me, coming back to spend some quality time on my breasts. He squeezed one and then did the nipple roll once more before moving on to the other and sucking on it for a few minutes. Then unexpectedly he bit my nipple. That was hot. I knew I was dripping. I reached for his erect penis, but he moved out of my reach.

"This is for you Babe. Just enjoy what I'm giving you."

Carlos likes to kiss and his mouth was everywhere. He was running kisses up and down my body. Then his lips were back to mine, while his hand caressed my inner thigh. Without warning he slid a finger into me.

"Carlos," I moaned. "God I want you."

"I know Babe. Shhh. Enjoy."

And then his mouth was between my legs and his fingers were in me while he was sucking my clit. Oh God, I felt like I was going to come. And then he entered me. He began thrusting slow and easy. He was teasing me.

"Carlos, deeper. Harder. Oh God."

He moved my legs to his shoulders so he could get as deep into me as possible. I felt the angle change along with his strokes and suddenly he was hitting my g-spot.

I moved my legs from his shoulders to around his waist. I reached down, stroked his balls and thrust back. I knew I couldn't hold out too much longer, but I was going to match him stroke for stroke.

He changed the pace a few more times and then both of us exploded into earth-shattering orgasms.

While he cuddled me after we both came down, he spoke softly, "How are you Babe?"

"I'm good. That was really nice. God, you're good."

"Let's try to get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."

I woke up to Carlos kissing my neck and earlobe. "Mmmmm."

"It's 5 am Babe, time to get up. I already packed for you, you just need to shower and get ready."

"You packed for me?"

"Yeah Babe, but if there's something special you want to bring, let me know and I'll find it while you shower."

"What did you pack?"

"Well you're supposed to be on vacation with your husband and another couple, so I packed nice things. Similar to what Ella packed for you when you and Lester went down to Florida as the Colón's. I packed that pink suit you seem to like so much and that Nicole Miller dress that looks so good on you and shorts and tops, jeans and nice slacks. I found shoes to go with everything. I packed about a week's worth of clothes and your favorite Victoria's Secret bras and panties. I left your makeup out because I thought you'd want to put some on this morning, and after you shower I'll add your hair products and other assorted personal stuff to the bags."

"You really did this?"

"Yeah Babe. Come on you need to get going."

After I finished showering I did the hair and makeup thing. It was so much less of a chore now that my hair was straight and no longer frizzed, no matter what I did.

I went out to the kitchen to see what I could dig up for breakfast and Carlos was at the stove. Coffee was made and he had egg white omelets just about finished. I noticed a blue Tiffany's box sitting next to my coffee cup.

"Carlos what's this?"

"Open it Babe."

Slowly I did, not knowing what to expect. "It's my wedding ring? I thought this was in the safe at Rangeman?"

"I asked Devon to get it out and Lester brought it here early this morning. You're supposed to be married and I thought you'd like to wear your own ring. Maybe get used to it."

"Carlos?"

"I don't want you to forget that we're going to get married someday. Isn't that what being engaged is all about?" Carlos said, coming over with my omelet and kissing me.

"You're so weird. And I love you so much."

"I love you too Babe, but I'm not letting Hector wear my ring."

"Hector is now Marc?"

"Well David and Maryanne really don't need a cover and they're already married, so that leaves you and Hector."

Good to know. And I could at least play the part with Hector. He doesn't look overtly gay and he's one of my closest friends.

While I was musing over being married to Hector, speak of the devil, Lester and Hector came into the kitchen. Hector had his gang tats covered and was dragging a small suitcase.

"Your week's worth of clothes fit in there?" I asked.

"Chica, you tink I'm like you? A couple of pair of pants and shorts and a few T-shirts don't take up much room. I good."

"Tighty whiteys?"

"Estefania."

"Just asking."

"Lester is taking us to the airport, are you almost ready?" Hector added, changing the subject.

"Where are David, Maryanne and Emma?"

"Jason took them while you were in the shower," Carlos said. "I asked him to go over the plane with a fine-tooth comb, so he wanted some time to check it out. And they were ready."

"Ok," I said, finishing up my omelet. "I just want to brush my teeth again and say goodbye to Carlos and Rex. Five minutes."

I quickly brushed my teeth and came back out to the kitchen. I grabbed a couple of hamster crunchies out of the cabinet and went over to Rex's cage.

"Now you be a good boy while I'm gone and take good care of your stepfather. I don't want to hear about you biting anyone," I told Rex, hand-feeding him a few crunchies and petting his super-soft fur. He looked at me with his little beady eyes and blinked a few times before running back into his soup can to eat. Guessed that meant he was ok with what I asked of him.

I closed his cage and went over to Carlos. I wrapped my arms around him and I kissed him. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"I'm a phone call away Babe. Call me anytime, and good luck with everything. I love you and I'll see you in a few days. Don't go crazy."

"I love you too. Don't get shot," I said, recalling what I used to say to him whenever he went off on a mission.

We kissed goodbye again. It was a great kiss with lots of tongue, and then we broke apart. The guys had already taken my suitcase out, so I just needed to follow. Suddenly it hit me that I was going to be separated from Carlos and the tears started to flow uncontrollably down my cheeks. God, what was wrong with me?

Before I could turn back to him for yet another kiss and a reassuring hug, Carlos' phone rang.

He answered then called to me. "Babe, wait. It's Cagiano." "Yes, I can get to Brett." "I wouldn't be alarmed yet. My men would contact me if anything had happened. Stephanie, can you get Hector and Santos?" "I'll call you back."

I called to Les and Hector and they both came back into the house just as Carlos hung up the phone.

"That was Cagiano. Albertson was supposed to make contact with him before the guys went out on their 'fishing trip' this morning, and he hasn't heard from him. He tried calling but gets no answer. Let's go to my office and call Brett."

The four of us made our way to Carlos' office and while we walked the short distance, he called Tank. He told him about Cagiano's call and wanted him to let Lula know too so she wouldn't panic if Hector and I were a little late. At least it wasn't a commercial jet; it would wait for us.

We sat down with Carlos' phone on speaker while he called Brett. It rang a few times and then it went to voicemail as if he purposely sent it there. Too short for his phone to be turned on but he wasn't answering, and too long for it to be turned off. Shit. It seemed like something was going on. Carlos called Chester Deuce next. Chester was one of the few guys from the Trenton office who went down with Brett. Most of the guys with him were from Miami.

Chester's phone did the same thing that Brett's did, it buzzed a few times before going to voicemail. This was certainly suspicious. It seemed to me that they were both in situations where they weren't able to speak freely, but both had their phones on them. Mauro was next on Carlos' list to try. He was one of the men from our Miami office and was 'off the grid' as far as cell phones go. He preferred to use Hector's GPS app on his jailbroken phone as his only way of communicating.

His phone buzzed and then nothing.

"Wait," Hector said, "he just opened the line. We should be able to pick up his transponder signal _and_ hear what's going on." Hector did something to receive the signal from Mauro's phone.

We could hear people walking and the muffled sound of speech coming from somewhere.

"They are ten miles out into the Atlantic," Hector said, checking the transponder coordinates. "I'm guessing they are on a boat with someone they can't talk freely in front of."

We heard more muffled voices but nothing we could decipher.

"I'll try to enhance that. I'm recording it so we'll have it on tape."

Hector was playing around with one of the devices in Carlos' office, and suddenly the sound was amplified. It was too loud now and the shuffling feet were still overwhelming the voice. Hector did something to knock out the foreground and we could clearly hear what someone was saying.

"I have the coast guard turning their back on the Caloosahatchee access beginning 0600 hours tomorrow. You have a few hours to make it up to Franklin Lock where my truck will be waiting. We are on a tight schedule from there and need to be out of the state by 1600 hours."

I did a quick time check in my head. I knew 0600 hours was six am, so I added from there and came up with four o'clock for 1600 hours. Since this person was speaking in military time, I assumed it was Briggs and we were on for tomorrow.

Hector copied the recording he'd made onto a flash drive and pocketed it. "I have the tape I made of Briggs and Albertson at their Pentagon meeting on my laptop. Once we're airborne I'll do voice-data analysis to make sure they are the same person, but I'm pretty sure that was Briggs."

I kissed Carlos goodbye one more time and Hector and I went out to the car with Lester. Hopefully things would go smooth from here.


	33. Chapter 33 — Moves like Neo

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it :)

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for Beta-ing my story and deeming this chapter good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :) Huge kiss **

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 33 — Moves like Neo**

When we arrived at the Monmouth Executive Airport there was a small crowd of reporters and TV cameras waiting by the terminal building. I wondered what that was all about? Well at least it would take attention away from Jason's inspection of the Learjet 60 we were flying in today. With more important things to look at the guards and grounds crew were pretty much guaranteed to leave us alone.

Lester drove us right up to our plane and Lula was standing there holding Emma. What a contrast of colors, Lula's dark skin against Emma's milky white and it looked like they were enjoying each other. Both Emma and Lula were laughing. I took out my phone and took a picture. I'd email it to Tank later. He'd love it.

"So who's the celebrity?" I asked as I got out of the car and walked over to Lula.

"The guard told me Ron Wood and Charlie Watts were arriving from London…whoever they are."

"Lula, do you know who Mick Jagger is?"

"Yeah of course."

"They're his band. Maybe they're making an album here. I've heard that Bruce Springsteen has a really good recording studio nearby."

"They'd come to _New Jersey_ from England?"

"I don't know, maybe they got a deal."

"The Rolling Stones don't need no deal, someone must live here."

"Whatever. Did Jason get a chance to go over the plane yet?"

"Yeah, we were just waiting for you. Tank and Ranger called a couple of times, so we all know about Briggs and the boat."

I was surprised to see Lester join us as we walked up the gangplank of the Lear.

"Are you coming with us Les?" I asked.

"Actually, I'm going to be your pilot. Ever since we had the fuel line severed Ranger has been suspicious of anyone within the NetJets organization and since my license is current he asked me to co-pilot this flight."

"Can you do that? Aren't we paying these guys for the plane as well as their pilots?"

"We are, but who's to say we have to take all that's given to us. Ranger asked for either Jason or me to keep an eye on things during this flight. And since Jason's heading back to Washington tomorrow, you got me."

"Well that makes me feel safe."

"Stephanie, I'm an excellent pilot."

"I wasn't being facetious, I'm serious. Having you up there in the cockpit makes me feel safe."

"If you don't tell anyone, I'll let you fly later."

"You would? Carlos said he'd let me fly Jason's plane but I had to get some kind of certification first."

"Well technically you do, but I won't tell if you took the yolk for a few minutes while I was sitting right there. And my instructor's license is valid."

"Oh Lester, I love you," I said hugging him unexpectedly and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

We found our seats and buckled up. After we were airborne our flight attendant came into the cabin to let us know we could now use our cell phones and to ask if anyone wanted anything. I just wanted to call Carlos, so I dug out my phone.

"Babe, what's up?" he answered right away.

"Hey. I just wanted to touch base. Were you able to get through to Brett or anyone?"

"No. I'm guessing Briggs is on the boat with them for the day and we won't be able to have a conversation until they are back on land. Did Hector get a voice match?"

"He's working on it, he has a bunch of equipment out and headphones on. He said it shouldn't take long, but we just took off. Carlos, there's something that's bothering me and I can't put my finger on it. This is going to sound weird, but have you ever met any of our neighbors?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. I just have this feeling that we need to know who our neighbors are and what they do for a living."

"I'll look into it Babe. Want me to go next door in a pair of fuzzy slippers, bring a casserole and introduce myself?" he said flippantly.

"Yeah, I do. But take Tank or one of the guys with you."

"You're serious?"

"Yeah, I'm serious. Don't you wonder about them at all?"

"No. All I care about is you. Well and keeping my company in the black."

"See if you can get their names and maybe email addresses from Captain Sprano. I bet he knows who they are."

"Ok. Since I've never doubted that spidey sense of yours I'll find out what I can."

"Thank you. I'll call you when we land."

I felt better and went over to sit next to Hector. He gave me a thumbs up but still had his headphones on. He brought his index finger to his lips to let me know not to speak at the moment. Then he smiled and removed his headphones.

"Sí. We have a match. It's Briggs."

Well it was confirmed, not that I ever had any doubt.

I just couldn't seem to shake that odd feeling I got as we entered the airport though. Somehow I felt it had something to do with one of our neighbors. That was why I was so insistent that Carlos call Captain Sprano to get their names. I giggled to myself as I thought about it; I just couldn't see Carlos going next door with a Caserola de Camerones to introduce himself.

"What's so funny Chica?" Hector asked.

"I'd tell you, but you probably won't find it funny."

"Try me."

So I told him about my short conversation with Carlos where he flippantly said he'd bring a casserole over to the neighbors. Hector looked at me like I'd lost it.

"You had to grow up with reruns on American television."

I had just about fallen asleep from the monotonous hum of the plane when the loud speaker came on. "Stephanie Plum please come to the cockpit."

It was Lester's voice so I knew I was going to get my chance to fly. I got up and opened the door that separated us from the pilot's control center. There were switches and buttons everywhere. Jeez, how would anyone know what to push for what?

"Hey Les. What's up?"

"You wanted to fly, now is as good a time as any. In about a half an hour, we'll be under Miami control and we'll have to do what they tell us. Until then, it's all yours."

"Really? You both are ok with this?" I asked turning my head from Les to the other pilot.

The other pilot nodded and Les got up to give me his seat. He fitted me with his headphones and crouched down next to me. "Once you're comfortable, Arthur is going to relinquish control and it'll be just you flying this baby."

"Really?"

"Yeah Bomber. Take offs and landings are the hard part. Flying is easy. Just take the yolk and keep it on course." He gave me about a ten second lesson and I kept the pointer of the control in front of me right on the red line that appeared. I was flying for about ten minutes on my own, but both Arthur and Les were right there and both able to take over if necessary.

It was cool to know that I did it, but kind of boring if you ask me. I wanted to fly like Superman. Or even Batman. I guess it was the cape thing.

There was a knock on the cabin door as I was musing to myself about the pros and cons of flying a plane. It was Hector.

"Chica, your phone has been buzzing. I hope you don't mind; I picked it up and looked. Ranger called you three times."

"Thanks Hector." "Thank you Les and Arthur for letting me fly. I need to call Carlos back."

"Beautiful, you can fly again on the way home but Miami is going to take over our control in about five minutes and Arthur and I need to follow their directions. You did really well."

"Thank you Les. But all I did was follow the red dots. I'm sure you set everything up for me. Thank you." And I kissed him on the cheek in appreciation for letting me stretch my wings.

I followed Hector out and went to my phone to see if Carlos left me any messages.

There was just one.

"Babe, call me. You are going to find our neighbor to the north very interesting."

I thanked my lucky stars that Carlos actually called Captain Sprano to find out who our neighbors were and I called him back.

"Take a guess Babe."

"What do you mean, take a guess? I have no idea."

"I'll give you a hint. Who is your favorite_ English_ rock band of all time?"

The key word being English, I just had one band that came to mind…The Rolling Stones.

"Jagger?"

"Close…Keith."

"Oh my God. Really?"

"Yeah really. I just met him and his daughter Theo."

"No shit?"

"My mom, Lauren and her wedding consultant are here. They wanted to look at the beach for Lauren's ceremony and Keith, Theo and a big black lab came out to see who we were and why we were taking pictures."

"You're shitting me. I thought he lived in Connecticut on some estate?"

"They do. This is just the beach house that Keith uses as a recording studio. He said his wife and the girls are heading back to Connecticut tomorrow before it got too loud. He just started work on a new album and some of his 'mates' were coming out to add their parts to the mix."

Now I knew the reason for the odd feeling when we got to the airport.

"I saw them. Well I saw the reporters at the airport waiting for them. The guard told Lula that Ron and Charlie were arriving _today_. So is Mick coming out too?"

"What are you talking about Chica?"

"Our next door neighbor is Keith Richards. Can you believe it? Maybe I'll get to meet Mick one of these days."

I hung up with Carlos and had a huge grin on my face for the rest of the flight.

We landed in Ft. Myers without incident and an oversized Hummer was waiting for us at the tarmac. I looked over to check out the car and I couldn't help but smile. Silvio was driving. I dropped my bags and ran over to him to give him a big hug and a kiss hello. I hadn't seen him in years.

I think it took him a few seconds to register that the person running to him with the straight blonde hair was indeed me. He got out of the car and met my embrace with as much enthusiasm as I had. After all, he taught me everything I knew about running searches.

"Stephanie, how are you? And congratulations. I understand Ranger finally got his head out of his ass."

"Thank you Silvio. Yeah it's been kind of a whirlwind last six months. But I'm happy. We both are. Did you know Lauren and Brett are getting married too? And they're going to be parents."

"You think we don't get the news down here? Lester tells me _everything_."

Of course he did; Lester loved to gossip.

"Are you talking about me Beautiful?" Lester asked, coming up behind me to shake hands with Silvio.

"I wasn't, but Silvio was."

"Are you staying here too Santos?" Silvio asked him after they greeted each other warmly.

"No, unfortunately this is just a stopover for me."

Les told us that he and Arthur were heading to Newark after they refueled. So after his quick hello, he said goodbye and turned back towards the Lear.

I introduced Lula, David, Maryanne and Emma to Silvio and we piled into the Hummer. I took the front seat so Silvio and I could catch up.

He took my hand to look at my ring and let out a low whistle.

"It takes him a long time to get it together, but once he does, he goes all the way."

He turned the band on my finger and suddenly realized there was more than one ring there.

"Did you get married and no one tell me?"

"No, but this _is_ my wedding band. Carlos insisted I wear it. Hector's supposed to be my husband."

Silvio caught Hector's eye in the rear view mirror and said something to him in Spanish. Damn I hated it when I couldn't understand what people were saying.

"He just told me it was too bad I couldn't appreciate what fell into my lap," Hector translated, knowing I didn't like to miss anything.

"Oh. Ok."

I got it. He was talking about the gay thing. But I knew it wasn't said with any disdain. Silvio had nothing but admiration for Hector.

Silvio drove us to Maryanne's condo. Make that condos. She gave Hector, Lula and I the keys to her parents' place and we went in to drop off our bags and choose for rooms. Silvio was going to park and all of us were going to meet back in this apartment to go over our strategy for tomorrow.

There was a master suite and two other large bedrooms in the condo where we were staying. All faced the canal and had one long balcony outside. I didn't care which one I got. I didn't think we'd be staying here for more than two nights anyway.

When Silvio came up with an overnight bag, I realized we were going to have a problem. There were four of us, but only three bedrooms. I guessed Hector had been paying more attention than I was because he'd already claimed the Florida room with its pullout bed for himself.

Maryanne buzzed my phone. "Is everything ok?"

When I told her it was, she suggested that me, Lula and Hector meet her in the gym. She wanted to get up to speed on the techniques Antonio taught us to execute the takedown.

"Maryanne says there's a gym in the complex and wants us to meet her there," I told the guys and Lula.

"I know where it is," Silvio answered, "I saw it on the way up from the garage. I'll take you there. And I'd like to see for myself what you and Lula can do to a man my size."

I looked over at Lula and she knew just what I meant. Silvio was on the floor with his hands behind his back before anyone could utter another word. And Hector was still laughing his ass off as we headed towards the gym.

Glad he found it funny.

Unfortunately we still were fighting a lot of macho preconceived ideas. Silvio and some of the others couldn't help it, really they couldn't. They had been taught that strength held more weight than stealth. Now we were proving that wrong. I really wished it could be Lula and I that took Briggs out, but since I understood his deep hatred now, I was glad that Maryanne was here.

She had moved some mats to the floor and was pushing a metal shelving unit holding exercise balls and other equipment to the side when we entered.

"Hey. I'm sorry I didn't give you time to relax, but I thought we should practice together a few times today. Our brains will work out the specifics while we sleep, but there is nothing like a couple of actual takedowns to set the ball in motion. I'm glad you brought Silvio with you too. We need a larger person to practice on."

"Huh," Lula said, "we already showed his sorry ass the floor. Who else ya got?"

"Well David is upstairs with Emma, but he can come down if we need him. I think Silvio can handle a few more trips to the ground before we need to make that call though," she giggled.

We spent the next hour or so showing Maryanne exactly what Antonio showed us. The moves were based on the element of surprise and getting your opponent off balance. Maryanne wanted to show us a couple of things too. She was very agile and very accomplished. I watched her flip Hector and then Silvio without breaking a sweat, losing her concentration or in Silvio's case giving him the benefit of knowing he was next. It was great watching her. It was like watching Neo in action. I knew right away she really didn't need my help; she could take Briggs down all on her own.

She knew what I was sensing and made a point of stopping to gather us all under her wing.

"I'm not trying to one-up you Steph. That wasn't the point of my demonstration. I just wanted to show you that I have your back, and if necessary I can probably kill him with a well-placed kick."

"Thank you. Wow. I'm really impressed. I feel so incompetent next to you."

"Don't. Please. I just want to help. Let's break for lunch and I'll teach all of you a few things this afternoon."


	34. Chapter 34 — Down he goes

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

**Happy Holidays to all! **Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it :)

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for Beta-ing my story and deeming this chapter good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :) Huge kiss. **

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chap 34 — Down he goes**

Silvio got the car out of the garage while Maryanne called David. He and Emma met us in the building's lobby. Pizza was on the agenda and I for one couldn't wait. The impromptu practice session made me really hungry.

"This is really good pizza," Maryanne said, as she directed Silvio to the pizza place. "Usually Florida pizza is either just your average pizza chain place or a gooey, gloppy mess, but this is good pizza."

I sure hoped so, I wasn't up for a bad pizza experience; I was starving.

We all piled out after Silvio parked. From the outside it looked good and the smells that were coming from the kitchen once we opened the door, certainly held up to my high standards.

We found a private table in the rear and Hector took the much coveted 'back-to- the-wall seat' to scan the room for bad asses.

"I haven't had pizza in over six-months," Lula said as she looked over the menu. "I was going to just order a salad, but you know what, I'll have some of their grilled chicken breast on my salad. I think I could use a little protein."

I was proud of her. Not only had she totally changed her eating habits, but she also had the stick-to-it skills that would keep her thin once she lost everything she wanted to lose.

"How much have you lost Lula?" I asked her quietly so she didn't have to go into detail if she didn't want to.

"It's ok girlfriend, I'm happy to be a loser. I'm down seventy-six pounds. I have another fifteen to go. I figure by the fall I'll have reached my goal. It's not coming off as easy now as it did in the beginning, so for my birthday Tankie's hooking me up with a personal trainer."

"Lula you can't work out any more. You run like six miles a day."

"I know, but maybe I need to do different exercises. Maybe I'm all runned out. Know what I mean?"

As much as that didn't make any sense, I knew exactly what she meant.

I'd been pretty good about exercising since Carlos and I got together and I tried to eat what he did, but I'd never given up dessert or pizza. And I wasn't starting now. So when our waitress came by to take our orders, I got the thin-crust Ciao Bello personal pie, which sounded the most like a Pino's Pizza Margarita.

Lula ordered her salad and the rest of us got different variations on pizza. Hector took the lead while we waited for our lunch to arrive. I was kind of expecting Maryanne or David to fill us in as they were the CIA agents, but I was not disappointed when Hector got our attention.

"Ranger has given me carte blanche to speak for Rangeman. Tomorrow's going to be a tough day. By listening in on Mauro's open line we learned that Briggs is asking our men to be at the canal by 7am. They need to finish the 17-minute ride through the locks with the missile by eight. Brett has not been in touch with us yet, but we tink that is because Briggs is staying on board the shrimp boat today. Brett, Chester or Mauro will get in touch with Ranger when they can. Meanwhile Mauro's line is still open and active."

Maryanne shivered. She wasn't as detached from this as she seemed.

"We have our plan in place," Hector continued. "With the help of some friends of Miami's police chief in the Ft. Myers PD I will get the tree in the road and we will keep the road east of the blockage safe so no one else gets hurt. Silvio will 'crash' into the tree after Briggs' truck passes the previous intersection. He can only take the road that we will have blocked and we hope he will get out of his truck to help the '_bleeding'_ Silvio when he finds the road impassible. Steph and Maryanne will be out of their car and in the road to flag him down and the rest will be history."

I saw Hector cross himself before he sat back down. You can never have too much help.

After lunch we went back to the condo and I called Carlos.

"Babe."

"Hector filled us in. Any word from anyone yet?"

"No Babe, but I wasn't expecting to hear anything until tonight when the boat got back to the marina. The open line is still operative though and we're getting much more information then we would have gotten from just a couple of phone calls. When Hector reduced the noise and amplified the background voices earlier, he seemed to have set the perfect distance from Mauro's phone and we've been picking up Briggs' every word."

I smiled at that. I assumed Hector set it up that way on purpose.

I said goodbye to Carlos and asked him to call me after he spoke with Brett. I took a bottle of water from the refrigerator and made my way back to the gym for our afternoon session. Surprisingly Lula and I were the only ones there. I had no idea where Hector or Silvio disappeared to; they weren't upstairs when I left the apartment. Maybe they were practicing Silvio's makeup.

"Sorry, I'm late," Maryanne said, racing into the gym. "We both tried to put Emma down for a nap, but she was hearing nothing of one. David is walking her around the complex now hoping to tire her out."

"She walks? She's just a little older than Alexa."

"I'm sorry, I meant she was in the stroller. No she's not walking yet. Listen, I've been thinking and I wanted to show the three of you a Systema move. If we get into any kind of an awkward situation with Briggs where one of us needs to take his life, I wanted you to be on board with a technique that can't be blocked."

Oh shit.

"What's Systema?"

"It's a lethal combat method developed by the Russian Special Forces. Its sole purpose is to do as much damage to your opponent as quickly and as efficiently as possible."

Wow.

"I'm not sure where Hector is. Let me text him and find out if he's joining us."

"I'm here Chica," Hector said, opening the door to the gym just in time to hear the last of what I said.

"I'm sorry, I'm late. I went with Silvio to the Ft. Myers PD. Chief Estefan set up an impromptu meeting for us with a few of their officers who he knew were trustworthy. They're getting Silvio outfitted for tomorrow."

"Maryanne wants to show us a Systema technique," Lula told him.

"I know about _The System_. It's more deadly than Brazilian Street Jiu Jitzu. I'd like to learn."

Glad he was so enthusiastic. I was scared shit. I really didn't want to know how to _kill_ someone in hand-to-hand combat.

"Hector can I use you for the demonstration?"

"You're not going to _kill_ him are you?" I asked.

"No, but you'll see immediately what the follow-through on this move will do. We'll stop before the 'kill.'

"Sí, I good. Where do you want me?"

Maryanne set Hector up on the mats and she had Lula and I circle around at a safe distance.

"Come at me Hector," she commanded.

He did and she had him on his back with her foot to his neck in under a second.

"As you can see, the technique I used to get him to the ground is similar to one of the ones Antonio was teaching you. Only here you use your hip to bring your opponent down onto their back, where you can twist their neck and finish them off with your foot."

"What if I pulled a knife on you just before you executed that take down?" Hector asked. Lula and I knew Hector was deadly with a knife.

"I'd disarm you and use it against you. You wouldn't know what hit you."

"I'd like to learn that. You'll see I'm a fast study," he said, reaching back and executing the exact same move on Maryanne that she used on him.

"Very good Hector. Stephanie, you want to try?"

"Slow motion, but yeah."

We did the move four or five times in slow motion so I could see exactly what to do with my hip and then she came at me. Quick as a bunny I brought my hand to her shoulder and used my hip to put her off balance, take her down and stop short of the kill.

"Good Steph. Lula?"

Lula went right for her trying to use the element of surprise in her favor. Unfortunately Maryanne was psychologically prepared and executed a counter move.

"You said there was no way to block this move, what did you just do?" Lula asked, getting up from the ground.

"I didn't let you make the move. Once you get your hip into position that move can't be blocked, but your hip never got up."

Maryanne had Lula practice a few times until she had the hip part down. Once Lula got it, we all stopped for some water and to talk about what we did.

"I think we've done enough for today. Just let your brains process what they've learned. And hopefully we won't have to use that Systema move." She paused and looked at Hector. "Hector I promised to show you how I would take you down and use your own knife against you if you pulled one on me mid-move. Shall we try? Here, why don't you use this short baton as a knife," she said going over to the shelving unit she moved earlier. She pulled out a twelve-inch piece of wood and threw it to Hector.

"Don't hold back, come at me," she commanded.

And he did. He was stealth in that she didn't even know where the 'knife' was placed, but when he pulled it, she somehow got it out of his hand and had it to the back of his neck in a kill stance immediately.

"I'd like to try that on you," he said getting up.

She took the 'knife' he handed her and came at him. He was right in that he was a quick study. He disarmed her and had the 'knife' positioned at the base of her skull for the kill in seconds.

"You learn well. I'd like to work with you a bit after we get Briggs out of the picture. Do you have time?"

"Estefania and Lula are just as quick to learn as I am. I'd very much like for you to work with the three of us."

"Ok, you have a deal. No more for today though. I think we should grab an early dinner and talk out everyone's role for tomorrow. There's a nice restaurant down the street that we can walk to and if we make a reservation now I'm pretty sure we can get their back room."

I was sitting on the mat peeling the label off my water bottle and going over Maryanne's proposition to Hector when David and Emma came into the gym.

"She was looking for you Mare, so I thought I'd bring her to see you in action," David said to Maryanne.

"We've just finished up. Too much practice is worse than not enough. Emma you want to see mommy practice?"

Little Emma was smiling broadly and nodding her head yes.

"Hector do you have anything left? Want to be my foil?"

"Sí, I still have plenty."

Maryanne put on a show similar to the one she did for us the other day. Although Hector did a great job of avoiding her kicks and take down tactics, she was better. But then again, this was her show. I could see why she wanted to work with Hector; he was as agile and lithe as she was and with the right training would really make a good mixed-martial-arts opponent. And we knew he could be lethal.

Emma was clapping and laughing. Every time Maryanne's leg went up for a faux head-strike she would call 'mamma' and giggle. I'm glad she found this amusing. Ten minutes ago we were learning how to kill.

After Maryanne's little show, we went back to the apartments to shower and change for dinner. David had called for reservations and we had the private room at six.

Silvio wasn't back yet so Hector texted him to see if he wanted to join us for dinner. I was watching Hector as he texted. I love texting in Spanish, I couldn't read a thing but it looked so cool.

"He'll meet us there, we can head out now," Hector translated when Silvio texted him back.

We met Maryanne, David and Emma in the lobby and we walked over together. Lula had been exceptionally quiet since our practice session. I was hoping she wasn't sulking now that we were close to getting Briggs and she wasn't going to be doing the take down with me.

I took her elbow and pulled her close. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah. I feel like I'm holding you back. You and Hector are so much better at this martial arts shit than I am."

"That's not true Lula. I saw you try to use a stealth move against Maryanne. That was smart and in most cases the right thing to do. She's just very good. She's a top of the line black belt in just about every martial arts there is. We can't compete with that. Well at least not yet."

"I know what you're trying to do and I appreciate it, but you _are_ better than me. Sometimes I feel like I'm just a part of this team because 'a Tank."

"I don't know who screwed your head on wrong today, but that is just so not how it is. You're here because you've proven yourself. Stop feeling sorry for yourself; it's not healthy. David and Maryanne are going to give us all roles for tomorrow. Yours will be just as important, if not more so than mine. Now cut the shit." Sometimes tough love was the way to go with Lula. "What did Tank say?"

"He said the same thing you did."

"That's because it's true. Nobody could be prouder of you than Tank and me. Look what you've accomplished."

"Uh huh."

I'd have to have Hector talk to her too. He wasn't part of the actual takedown and he was doing ok. More than ok.

We were ushered to the back room and I pulled out my phone on the premise of checking email. I texted Hector a short note about Lula and I saw him nod to me that he understood once he received it.

We ordered appetizers and while we waited for them to come out David began dishing out assignments for tomorrow. It didn't matter that Silvio hadn't joined us yet; he knew his assignment already.

"Please God, give Lula something of importance." I muttered to myself.

"Hector, you and the FMPD have the tree covered, right?" he began.

"Sí, but we need someone to clear the road before it goes down. No one can be heading in either direction except for Briggs' truck, Silvio's crash and Maryanne and Steph's almost accident."

"I can do that," Lula volunteered. "If I had a green vest, I could stop traffic half way down the road before you drop the tree."

"I was going to ask you to do this Lula." David added. "If you take west of the tree area, I'll handle east. I thought we could have an official CIA investigation going on to re-route traffic. I have CIA credentials all ready for you. I hope you don't mind that I used your Tallulah Abernathy ID."

Thank God.

"Hector, you too. I have CIA documentation for you too. We'll have about ten minutes before the truck arrives if we fell the tree just as Briggs passes the Scout Camp Road intersection. Unfortunately there two roads that intersect Rt. 78 that we'll have no control over, Serengeti Circle and Brenfield Lane. They are both residential streets. But I can't see any other place to fell the tree without much more traffic."

"I'm good. I'll have them covered. And I still have my other CIA documentation."

"This one is real," he smiled.

Silvio joined us just as the appetizers arrived. He looked like he'd been through hell. All he had to do was smear on some fake blood and get into a crashed car. Wondered what else he was up to.

"Silvio you look like shit. What did you do today?" Hector asked him as he took his seat.

"Well, first we looked at a bunch of trees that we could get to fall across the road. We found one and instead of putting chops into it tomorrow to weaken it, we did that now. Then we wired it back up so it couldn't fall until we wanted it to. And then I went to a used car lot to get a car, had it registered and got plates. Did I do enough to warrant my shitty looks?" he asked.

"You didn't crash it yet?"

"No, we'll do that tomorrow. You can always tell a fresh crash."

"What about the blood?" I asked, always interested in the gore.

"They'll set me up with some bladders tomorrow. And we have a makeup artist doing my face at 5:30 tomorrow morning. Should look authentic."

"Cool. Can we take some pictures so Carlos, Tank, Les and especially Bobby can see?"

"We can take a few pictures after the makeup artist does her thing. I don't want to alarm any passerby's until we crash for real."

Our waitress came back to remove our appetizer plates and to take our order. We abruptly stopped talking; you never knew who people knew.

I ordered the grouper special, which was their catch of the day. After all this _was_ Florida. It came with a side of spaghetti or French fries. I opted for the spaghetti; hoped I made the right choice.

We made light conversation while we waited for our orders. Emma was fast asleep. I got the feeling she could sleep through anything. We weren't exactly quiet.

Dinner was just ok. I probably should have ordered something tried and true as it seemed to me that everyone else liked their meals. But at least I had tiramisu to make up for a just ok dinner.

After we ate we went back to the apartments. Maryanne and Hector thought we should get as much sleep as possible, knowing we were getting up by 4 am to get things started. There was just something about going to bed at 9:30 that I just couldn't do, so I called Carlos instead.

"Babe. I'm surprised you're still awake?"

"It's too early to go to bed and I wanted to hear your voice again."

"Are you feeling homesick?"

"I'm just missing you. Hey, did you ever hear about Russian Special Forces techniques called Systema?"

"Yeah Babe. We used them too. Why do you ask?"

"Maryanne taught us how to kill this afternoon. Just in case we got into trouble we couldn't get out of."

"I see. Be careful, I'm sure Briggs knows them too."

"Maryanne said the one she taught us can't be blocked."

"I'm sure she's right but just be careful."

"Did you hear from Brett?"

"Yeah, everything's a go. Briggs was on the boat with then all day pretentiously crowing about his past accomplishments. It was tiring to listen to. Mauro kept the line open until after they docked, so we heard everything first hand."

"Well, I guess this is it. I'll call you after the take down. I love you Carlos."

"I love you too Babe. Don't worry; just do your job. You have some of my best men with you. Hector, Silvio and Brett will never let anything happen to you."

And we hung up.

I didn't sleep well at all. I just kept waking up in a sweat thinking about having to break someone's neck. I wished she'd never shown us that Systema thing. Finally my alarm went off at 4 am, so I got up, showered and did my thing. When I went out to the kitchen everyone was there along with bagels, coffee and assorted pastries.

I knew sugar wouldn't be the thing to have before such an important event, so I opted for a plain bagel with a little cream cheese and a mug of coffee.

Silvio, Hector and Lula left before I did. They had a lot of prep work to do, so I paced around the apartment. I do some of my best thinking on my feet. When it was finally time to leave, I actually felt ok. Maryanne knocked on my door a little before seven and we went down to the garage together. I got into the driver's seat of the BMW convertible that Carlos had brought down for us. I assumed he had it para-aramid reinforced, among other things.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked.

"No, I don't think I slept much at all. Did you?"

"No, me neither," she giggled. "I think that means we'll get our man."

"I hope so."

There was no other small talk between us as we drove the short distance to Rt. 78. I parked on Serengeti according to plan and we waited for David to call us.

At 7:35 Maryanne's phone rang. She answered on speaker.

"Briggs' truck just went through the Scout Camp Road intersection. The tree is down and Silvio has crashed. You're up next."

I started the car and we drove back around the corner to Rt. 78. I wasn't prepared for what I saw in front of me. I huge tree was blocking both lanes. An older model Ford Escort was completely accordioned into it and the elderly driver was bleeding profusely. I was glad we weren't privy to this before. The shock of seeing the crash scene for the first time made it feel real.

I swung my car around, narrowly missing plowing into Silvio and Maryanne and I both got out. I heard the truck approaching and jumped into the road to prevent another accident. I was waving my arms and yelling. Maryanne was crying.

Briggs stopped the truck.

The tears started running from my eyes too as I went over to tell him about the injured senior in the car that had obviously gone into the tree.

I saw his eyes widen as if he were mentally making a few decisions and then he was out of the truck. He took a few steps towards the injured Silvio and Maryanne turned around. She gave me the minute head signal and we did our thing. We had him down, knocked out cold and on the ground. I pulled my cuffs out and secured his hands as Brett, Chester and the rest of the guys came to our aid with leg irons.

It happened fast and I didn't realize I was holding my breath until Hector came up behind me, put his arm around me and told me to breathe.


	35. Chapter 35—The Aftermath

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

**Happy New Year to all! **Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it :)

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for Beta-ing my story and deeming this chapter good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :) Big hug. **

I don't own the characters; just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 35—The Aftermath**

"Estefania, it's all over. You did it. We have him in custody."

"But will it stick. He's an army colonel," I said and I started to shake. The reality of what we'd done finally hitting me.

"Brett has audio of the whole ting and filmed your take down. Between the stealth videos I made, the Article 32 which is on the books for Monday and us catching him with the missile, he is going away for a long time."

I just looked at Hector not quite comprehending what he was saying and I started to shiver uncontrollably.

"Chica, you're going into shock. I'm going to put you into my car and turn the heater on."

I let Hector lead me to his rental car and when he opened the door for me, Carlos was there. I didn't know what to do first, grab Carlos and hold him or sit as close to the heater as I could.

"What are you doing here?" I asked looking at the man I loved.

"Tank, Etta Mae and I just arrived. There was no way for Briggs to track our movements after he met the boat this morning, so we took the chance. Babe, I am so proud of you," he said pulling me in for a huge hug and a kiss.

Hector left us and went over to talk to the police officers that had just arrived.

I started to shiver again despite Carlos' warmth and the car's heater, which was on full force.

"Babe, let's get you back to the apartment. I'll make you some tea, put you under some covers and I'll get in next to you. I don't want you to go into shock. Dios, the last time that happened I thought I was going to lose you."

"Maryanne?" I asked, suddenly anxious to hear that she was ok. "And Lula, where's Lula?"

"Shhh Babe," he said taking me into his arms and just holding me, "everyone's all right. Tank's with Lula and I'm pretty sure David is with Maryanne."

"Hector?"

"Hector is fine. The FMPD just scooped him up to get his take on what just happened. He'll be back to the apartment shortly.

"Your wrist? It's not in a cast anymore?"

"I had it x-rayed yesterday. The bones have healed. Bobby took the cast off last night."

Carlos moved to the drivers seat and put the car in gear. I grabbed the sweatshirt that was draped over the seat. It smelled faintly of Hector so I put it on. I leaned into the heating vents where the hot air was coming out in full force.

"Carlos, I can't get warm."

"I know Babe, we'll be back at the apartment in a few minutes and I'll get under the covers with you. You're in shock."

I didn't even remember the drive back to Maryanne's parents' place, but I knew I was with Carlos and he would take care of me. He stripped me out of my clothes and put me under the covers. Then he stripped and got into bed with me. He pulled me to him and I could feel his internal furnace begin to warm me up.

He just held me tight, occasionally rubbing my arms with his hands and spoke soothing words to me in Spanish. I didn't know what he was saying, but for once I didn't care. He was with me and that was all that mattered.

I don't know how long we lay there like that, but Carlos switched to English to ask me a question, "Babe are you warming up? I'm going to make you some tea, I'll be right back."

"You can't go out like that, there are other people in the apartment."

"I'm pretty sure Hector has seen a naked man before and Tank and Etta Mae were going to take Lula out for lunch to try to boost her confidence back up. I'll only be a few minutes."

I could hear him moving about in the kitchen. I guessed he found tea bags. Then I heard him and Hector talking in Spanish. I never understood how men could just stand around naked and carry on conversations; it must be a locker room thing. A few minutes later he was back with two mugs of ginger tea.

"I could only find herb tea, but because there is no milk in here to cool it down it'll warm you up faster. It smelled so good I made some for Hector and myself too."

"I can't believe you were parading around in your altogether, boiling water and having a conversation with Hector. Weren't you afraid you might accidently spill boiling water all over your man parts?"

"Uh, no Babe. Sip some tea and I'll get back into bed with you. You felt really good in my arms before. Dios."

Dios was right. Having those big muscular arms and chest warm me up was like a gift from God. I couldn't say I felt all warmed up now, but at least I wasn't shivering.

"How did Tank know about Lula?" I asked taking a couple of sips.

"She called him yesterday after your practice session and told him she was feeling insecure about her abilities. He said he told her it was all in her head, that I wouldn't have brought her on board if I didn't feel she could do the job, but she was having none of it. Etta Mae wants to go back to Biloxi now that the threat is over, so Tank thought he and Lula could take her home and they could spend a few days down there. He wants to work on Lula's self-esteem away from you."

"Away from me? I've never done anything but support her. Ask Connie."

"I know Babe, but she sees herself as inferior to you. Let Tank work with her, he's good at that shit."

I didn't know what else to say, all I wanted was for my friend to mature and succeed.

I started to shiver again. Carlos took a sip of tea then motioned me back towards the bed. I knew from hearing what the guys said, that last time I had a really hard time returning from a bout of post-stress shock. I didn't want to freak everyone out again.

"Babe, you're still in distress. Let's go back under the covers. Hector will let everyone know what's going on and not allow anyone to disturb us." He touched my back. "Babe, you're cold. Under the covers."

I guess I fell asleep. I woke a few hours later with Carlos still holding me close. I'd finally stopped shivering. He was on his cell phone.

"I don't want to leave Stephanie," I heard him say. "She's just coming out of a bout of PTSD. Hector can identify Briggs; he was at the Pentagon when he had that meeting with Albertson. By the way what happened to Albertson?"

I couldn't hear the other side of the conversation, but I guessed it satisfied Carlos.

"Ok, we'll all meet at 1600 hours today to go over everything. Bring in FMPD if you feel that necessary."

Carlos saw that my eyes were open and I was trying to register the time in military hours. "Four o'clock babe. But if you still aren't up to it, I'm not going to let them interrogate you."

"I'm feeling much better now. What _did_ happen to Albertson? I didn't see him on the truck with Brett and Chester."

"He stayed with the boat and brought it back out through the locks after he learned the ordeal was over. He'll be at the debriefing."

"I'm ok; I want to be there. Where is this debriefing being held? I just need to get some food in me, take a hot shower and I'll be ready to go."

"At David's apartment next door. Some CIA big shot is coming down from Washington. Your mission was a success. Everyone's pleased with the way things turned out. I'll make us some lunch while you shower."

I didn't know what he could possibly make us for lunch; I didn't think there was any food in the apartment. But I didn't think too hard about it as I made my way to the bathroom to take a shower.

I came out to find grilled cheese sandwiches and oversized mugs of tomato soup. How the hell did he know my go to comfort foods?

"Babe, I've seen you order this at the diner when you weren't feeling up to snuff." And yes, you said that out loud," he said, laughing at me. "The soup will warm you."

"Thank you Carlos. You're so good to me."

"We have about an hour before we have to go next door for the debriefing, do you want to jot down a few notes?"

"You said some CIA biggie will be there?"

"Yeah, 'Roger' is the special assistant to the director on counterterrorism. He was brought in because of the potential of that missile starting World War Three."

"'Roger?'

"Not his real name Babe, but for security purposes you'll never know his real name."

"You're shitting me, right?" I asked. Then giving it about a half a second's worth of thought, I asked Ranger another question. "Do _you_ know his real name?"

"Babe." And just by the way he said that, I knew he couldn't talk about it. They were probably friends in the military together.

I took my iPad out of my bag and brought up a fresh page in Pages. If 'Roger' was coming in specifically to talk to us I was going to try to write up some notes like Carlos suggested.

So I sat there staring out into space.

"You're the one that came up with the Chinese astronaut Babe. You made that connection, not me. Credit where credit is due."

"But what if it wasn't that after all? I'll look like a fool."

"It's all about educated guesses Babe. It's what _they_ do. Given the same criteria, I guarantee you that 'Roger' would have come to the same conclusion."

So I jotted that down. I made a couple of notes about Maryanne's contributions, Brett volunteering to be a shrimper and Lula and Hector graciously letting me take the limelight. This wasn't going to be all about me.

I put down my iPad, looked out onto the canal and started to pace. Before I got very far, the front door opened and Silvio came in. All the theatrical makeup was gone and he looked like just plain Silvio now. I was glad Hector said he took a few pictures earlier or no one would believe it.

"Come on Babe, let's go next door, 'Roger' should be here now and I don't think it's a good idea to keep him waiting."

"Is Lula coming back?"

"I guess her and Tank will come to the debriefing, but he called for a NetJets plane to take them to Biloxi later this afternoon. Don't worry about her so much Babe, she'll be fine."

We went next door and Carlos, Hector, Silvio and myself were the last to arrive. David had set up some chairs in the living room and we used that as a makeshift conference center.

The meeting was pretty quick and within forty-five minutes 'Roger' had everything he needed to fill in Petraeus.

Lula came next door with us so she could get her bags and I hugged her goodbye.

"Girlfriend, thank you for giving Hector and me all the credit you did."

"You guys deserved it, this whole thing would not have been successful without the two of you. I couldn't have done this alone, you know that don't you?"

"I don't know what I know right now. I'm feeling a little insecure about my role. I just hope there's a place for me within Rangeman somewhere; I don't want to go back to being a file clerk for Vinnie. Uh uh. No way."

"There's always a place for you…and I hope it will be with me. We still have our data security thing and now that this is behind us, it's going to be more important than ever. And we still have to show Campbell's Soup your kickass Facebook page," I said, bringing her in for a big hug. "Have a good time in Biloxi, I'll miss you."

And that was it. Lula was gone.

Briggs was under arrest, the missile confiscated, and we were heading home in the morning. God, I felt like I'd been through hell.

"Babe, do you want to go out to dinner? I'll take you someplace nice," Carlos said, coming up behind me and putting his arms around my waist. "I packed that blue dress that looks so good on you."

"Just us?"

"Um hmm Babe. Well unless you want to invite someone to join us?" he replied nuzzling my neck in such a way that I was getting serious goosebumps down my arms. God, I almost changed my mind.

"Hector and Silvio," I answered, turning dinner into a less than romantic evening out. We could still have a good time, but Carlos would just have to share me.

"Ok with me. I googled restaurants in the area and there is an Antebellum turn-of-the-century place called the Veranda nearby. It says they have the best Key Lime Pie in Florida."

"Ok, you got me. I love Key Lime Pie. Should we make reservations?"

"Ask Hector and Silvio if they'd like to join us and I'll make reservations, for what, eight?"

"There are just four of us."

"Babe."

"Oh yeah, eight sounds good."

The guys were very happy for the dinner invite. If Carlos was inviting, he was paying and this was one of those mega-star places, with probably a mega price tag to go along with it.

Dinner was great, and the Key Lime Pie was to die for. I'd pay another visit to the place just for the pie.

"Babe can we go for a walk when we get back, I want to talk to you?" Carlos whispered as we drove back to Maryanne's parent's place.

Oh shit. I guessed he had wanted to talk to me over dinner.

"Of course." But my mind wasn't as sure as my words, and I spent the rest of the ride fidgeting and wondering what he had to say to me.

Silvio parked and while he and Hector took the stairs back to the apartment, Ranger and I went out to walk along the canal. We got maybe five hundred feet from the building when Ranger stopped and turned to me. He took my hand in his and ran his fingers over the two rings I was wearing on my left hand.

"Babe, let's get married," he said, pulling me in close and kissing me.

I stepped back a little and just looked at him. "You were the one that told me that was the plan."

"I mean now. We could elope."

"I thought you wanted to get married at our house?"

"I do, but my sister seems to have that one sewn up. I don't want to share something as personal as a wedding and I don't want to wait. Dios, just seeing you in distress today made me want to protect you forever."

So that's what this was about.

"Carlos we've already committed ourselves to one another, there's no rush. And I'd like to get married at our house. I don't need a big thing…I don't _want_ a big thing, but I want to share our wedding with people who love us. My family. Your family. All our friends at Rangeman. If I have to wait to get that, I'll wait."

"I'll do whatever you want. I just want us to be together."

"We are together Carlos. I'm not going anywhere. And I love you so much."

"I love you too Babe. Forever."

"Forever."


	36. Chapter 36—Talking Amongst Ourselves

**Gaining Forward Momentum**

This takes place after _Dancing Outside the Lines_.

Thank you so much for all the positive feedback and nice reviews you've posted for this story. I really appreciate it :)

This is the final chapter of this story. I wanted to pull it all together by letting us hear from all of the major players. I hope it's not too all over the place. This is not the end of this particular interpretation of JE's characters though, as I plan on one more story in this trilogy. Stephanie and Ranger need _their_ day, and the last badass must be eliminated.

M Rating

Extra special thanks to Margaret for Beta-ing my story and deeming this chapter good to go :). **Thank you Margaret :) Huge kiss. **

I don't own the characters, just taking them for a spin :)

Reviews and suggestions are always welcome.

**Chapter 36—Talking Amongst Ourselves**

_**Ranger's POV**_

I hated seeing Stephanie vulnerable. I hated what post-traumatic stress did to her. And I mostly hated that I couldn't have what I wanted, well, when I wanted it. She was right of course, waiting to share our 'someday' as she calls it, with our friends and families was the right thing to do; but if I could keep her safer by giving her my name _now_, I would. Problem with that fucked up thinking was it could work either way; she'd be safer, or more vulnerable. Things with Stephanie were just so unpredictable.

David hadn't said anything to any of us yet, but I knew someone had to give testimony at Briggs' court martial on Monday. I was hoping Albertson would be enough, being he was CIA. Unfortunately the next logical person would be Hector. Although Hector manned the cameras and caught Briggs' clandestine meeting both on video and in person, his methods weren't sanctioned and could get Rangeman into a whole lot of hot water. I wasn't going to open my mouth and volunteer Hector unless we had no other alternative. But I wanted to prepare him just in case.

"Hector you know there is a pretty strong possibility that you'll be called to testify at Briggs' court martial," I began, once we were back in the living room at the condo.

"Sí, I already thought about that. I can show the real CIA papers David had made up for me for today's takedown. There is no date on them; they just say that I'm CIA. They are not high clearance, but they might be enough to let the court tink I just 'walked' into the Pentagon."

"I didn't know David gave you CIA authorization. Can I see what he gave you?"

Hector came back with genuine documentation. Thankfully we wouldn't need to use his forged papers and hope no one checked them out under a microscope. I felt better about Hector going on the stand—but then again, only if he _had_ to.

"Neither Tank nor I are going to the hearing. We don't want Briggs thinking we had anything to do with this. If he saw me and thought about it long enough, he might be able to picture Stephanie as the curly-haired brunette that was with me the on day of our meeting. I'm not sure how far his sphere of influence travels and Stephanie doesn't need to be a target for any of his fanatics."

"Sí, I agree with your tinking but she was the one who came up with the Chinese woman astronaut as Briggs' most probable target. I can say that came from me, but I not feel _so_ comfortable lying under oath."

"You have no other scruples, let that one go too. Stephanie stays out of this."

"You know I'm right here," Stephanie said, coming into the living room. "What were you just saying about me?"

"I just don't want you involved in Briggs' court martial, Babe. If anyone from Rangeman _has_ to be there, I'll send Hector or Brett."

"Sí, Brett recorded everyting. He has three days of audio. His testimony is probably more important than mine. And he not have to lie."

"We'd still need a voice recognition assessment done and you've already carried that out on the audio from the boat. We'd either have to pay to get that done again or you can allow yours in as praecognita. In which case you'd need to be there anyway. You're not getting off that easy Santiago."

I wasn't actually angry with Hector, in fact just the opposite. But if we were going to make him a member of the core team, which was just a vote away, I wanted to know where his loyalty stood.

"Sí. I good. I can rearrange statistics a little," he said grinning that evil Hector grin.

Just as we were getting comfortable again after my little 'discussion,' the doorbell rang. Stephanie beat us to the door and looked through the peephole. "It's Brett?"

We certainly weren't expecting my future brother-in-law to show up, but of course he was always welcome.

"Hey man, what's up?" I asked, getting up from the couch and pulling him in for a thug hug.

"Chester and I were just _interrogated_ by the FBI. We were on our way to the airport when our car was pulled over. What the fuck is going on? I thought we were sanctioned?"

"Where is Chester?" I asked, seeing just Brett at the door.

"I dropped him off at the airport so he could get the next flight out. Bobby gave me your address here."

"Come in."

_**Brett's POV**_

I remember that evening well…probably better than I remember my wedding. The feebs pulled us over with guns drawn. There was no reason for that. We were acting under CIA authorization, although there was no doubt in my mind that the two investigative divisions of the US government rarely, if at all, spoke.

We were frisked, our guns removed and we were thrown over our car, legs spread and uncomfortably held at bay.

"Who the fuck do you guys work for?" came the booming voice over my head.

I could only answer it truthfully. "Rangeman," and that brought a side of someone's hand down on my neck in a most uncomfortable 'chop.'

Two things came to my mind; either this was retaliation or we had been set up. We knew what to do in either of these situations, give away nothing and listen hard to what our adversaries had to say.

"Do you have authorization papers?" the same voice boomed again.

"Left breast pocket," I said. Thankfully everything we do at Rangeman is signed, documented and verified.

He pulled the papers out of my pocket, jabbing me in the side with his gun at the same time.

"CIA. I thought you said you worked for Rangeman?"

"Rangeman is our employer. The CIA commissioned us to apprehend a man they've been watching for years."

Our papers were in order and if they held us any longer after reading through the description of what Rangeman had been commissioned to do, we'd be justified in investigating_ them_.

"Do you have permits for these guns?" he asked.

"Same pocket."

After another jab in the side and a kick to the back of the knee, the papers for everything were shoved back into my hands; we were given back our guns and released.

Ranger said nothing as I retold my story.

"Do you need to be looked at?" he asked after a few seconds of silence. "Your neck or your knee?"

"I'm ok, I'll probably have some bruises, but I'm ok. Chester too. They knew enough to not do damage. The name of the guy that interrogated me was Roberto Hernandez. I told Bobby about him too. I'd like to check out if he's legit. Something felt off although he did shove a badge in my face. I got the feeling we were being held in retaliation."

"Babe, want to check Hernandez out?" Ranger asked Steph. She came back with her laptop and entered his name into one of her search engines. I noticed that Hector was also running a search for something on his.

_**Hector's POV**_

I knew Stephanie wanted to see me happy. But her idea of happiness had always been different than mine. I knew she'd like nothing better than to hear that Miguel and I were a couple, but we were not. Yeah we had some good times, clubbing, fucking and just hanging out. But we were really very different people, and probably not that well suited for one another.

Yeah we both used our hands. Mine to kill, maim and disfigure, his to sew, stich and alter. I make things ugly; he makes things beautiful.

So I knew what I had to say when Stephanie and I were alone in the living room of Maryanne's parent's condo and she asked me again how things were going with Miguel.

"Chica, sometimes tings are not meant to work out. Do you know what I mean?"

"Yeah. Like me and Joe. As many times as we broke up and as many times as Carlos or my mother tried to get us back together I always had the feeling that something wasn't quite right. I loved him, but I didn't love him. If it wasn't that we, well, uh, you know, it would be more like a brother/sister thing."

"Sí Chica, similar. But it's ok. I'm not unhappy with my life. I have my job and I have good friends like you and Tank, Lester, Bobby and Ranger. And someday I'll figure it out, just the way that you and Ranger finally figured it out."

"I understand what you're saying Hector. I really do. Um, can I ask you something else?"

"Sí Chica, anything."

"Do you know what's going on with Lula? Carlos said that Tank needed to work on her self-esteem...away from me."

_**Tank POV**_

I don't know what happened. I thought everything was going fine until Lula called me the afternoon before the takedown.

"Tankie, I'm just not in their league. They so much better than me," she began her phone call.

"Lula, what are you talking about? What happened?"

"We were just working with Maryanne. I can't keep going with this lie anymore."

"Lula Baby, what lie? What are you talking about?"

"Stephanie and Hector are just so much better 'an me. And everyone knows it. But instead of saying it to my face, they just givin' me lesser roles. Know what I'm sayin'?"

"No I don't Baby. Try again."

"Ok, so instead of me and Steph doing the takedown, it's become Steph and Maryanne. And I get that black/white thing, I really do. But I don't think that's all there is to it. I think they see me as inferior and this is just an easy way a lettin' me know."

"Lula, Ranger wouldn't have hired you if he didn't think you could do the job. He's just not like that. The three of you successfully completed the training program—_and_ you learned how to take down a 250-pound man, you earned that position."

"So that's why I've become a traffic cop?"

"What?"

"David gave me CIA papers, but I'm just wearing a big ol' jacket with CIA on it and I'm stopping traffic before it crashes into a tree."

"Do you know how important that job is Lula? Do you know what would happen if there was an accident during a takedown? The consequences? Don't underestimate the importance of the job you've been given. You play a vital role."

I wondered what had happened to turn my woman into this insecure person? This was _not_ the sassy Lula I loved.

I called Ranger once we hung up.

"I just got a call from Lula. Do you know what's going on down there?" I then took him through the conversation I just had, almost word for word.

"I think we'll be able to get on a plane tomorrow morning—he probably won't keep tabs on us once his plan is in full-swing. I think both Steph and Lula could benefit from us being around once the takedown is complete. I'll get a plane for 6 am. Meet you at Mercer."

"I'm bringing my grandmother with me. She wants to go back to Biloxi now that the threat is over. Maybe Lula and I can spend a few days at her house and I can get to the bottom of this."

"Take whatever time you need man."

_**Lula's POV**_

Something just snapped in my head. One minute I felt like a part of the team and the next I felt like a bad joke. I'm far from stupid and I can pick up on things easier than most people. Being a ho had it's advantages; you learn to read people. And if you don't read them well, you could end up dead.

When Maryanne was showing us that Systema move, I got the feeling I was being set up. She first took on Hector to show us just what to do, and I was more than ok with that. Better he than me if you were going to show us a quick death. And then it was Stephanie's turn. Steph wanted to get it so they practiced in slow motion, which was good for me…I got to see the technique up close and personal, know what I mean?

Anyway when it was my turn, I thought I'd surprise her by going right for her. I guess that was bad judgment on my part because she caught me off guard and got me on my ass. She had told us that there was no way to block that move, so what the fuck was that all about?

"Huh? You said you can't block this, what did you just do?" I asked her, getting my sorry ass up from the ground.

I remember her response clear as a bell. "I didn't let you make the move."

I just knew she fixed it so I'd end up on the ground. I'm not a 'big woman' anymore, so why am I still the brunt of everyone's jokes? And then they give me traffic duty? Uh uh, no way, I don't do_ that_ no more.

Ok, and one other thing. I know she wanted to work with Hector all by hisself. She really didn't want Steph or me, but Hector just didn't see it that way. He's a good friend, and he stood up for us. But _he_ was the only reason she would even considered working with us; if she didn't get us, she didn't get Hector.

_**Hector's POV**_

Stephanie asked me why I thought Lula wanted to get away from her. She seemed pretty disturbed by that fact.

"It's not you Chica. She's just feeling uncertain about her abilities right now. I knew Maryanne wanted to work with me, by myself; she wasn't hiding it. But I thought that would be worse for Lula self-esteem, so I made a point of not letting her separate us."

"She's not a hurtful person Hector," I looked at her strangely. I knew Lula wasn't a hurtful person.

"Maryanne, I mean."

"I know. She just saw something in me that she thought she could bring out. I might ask to work with her one-on-one, if that's ok with you and come back to Trenton in a few days. Now that Lula isn't here her ego won't get more bruised."

"It's fine with me. You know I'm all for us bettering ourselves."

"I'll talk to Ranger. If he's on board with it, I'll pull Maryanne aside in the morning. She told me they were going to stay here through the weekend. David has to be in DC on Monday for Briggs' trial and I tink she wanted him to take a short break before he had to relive that bullshit."

"I get that. Boy do I get that." Stephanie seemed to pause for a minute. It was as if she had something else on her mind and was trying to find a way to talk to me about it.

"Hector?' she finally asked, "are you as worried about going back to New Jersey as I am?"

"No chica, why are you worried? Brett and Lauren are getting married next weekend and it seems like the perfect time for a party. Briggs is in custody and will very likely be going away for a long time."

"I'm worried about Mickey Kraven. The last we heard he was in Bergen County recreating his house of torture. What if he comes after me again?"

"Estefania. We are a team. If he comes for you, he'll have to deal with me. I will kill him just like I killed his henchman. You are safe with me, you are safe with Ranger and you are safe with any of the men. No one will try to hurt you when we are with you."

"You guys can't be with me all the time, and his torture devices scare the shit out of me."

I noticed she was shivering when she brought up Kraven's name; he really scared her. I was sure a good part of it was her losing the baby when he threw the cannonball at her. Unfortunately that was something _I_ couldn't fix.

_**Kraven's POV**_

The bitch deserves to die and so does her knife-wielding friend. What I wouldn't give to see Ranger's face when he finds her spread-eagled and bleeding out from every orifice.

I think I'll save the 'cradle' for her Spanish-speaking friend. Que Dios me ayude* will take on new meaning when he has his balls punctured. I wonder just what Ranger will do when he finds the two of them.

And I'll be sure to record the whole thing. It will give me such pleasure.

*God help me.


End file.
